Soft lotus seeds in a mild sweet soup are spoonable and easy to share in a small cooled serving.
Recipes vary. Ask the restaurant about ingredients and serving before you order.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Steamed lotus seeds in rock-sugar syrup may be served with green peas, pineapple, cherries and longan; ask what fruit and garnishes are included.
Typical ingredients
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Sweet.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Soft, starchy seeds.
- How it’s made
- Steam the lotus seeds; boil the rock-sugar syrup.
Steamed lotus seeds in rock-sugar syrup may be served with green peas, pineapple, cherries and longan; ask what fruit and garnishes are included.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Hunan.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有冰糖湘莲吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A sweet blessing on Xiangtan’s banquet table
In Xiangtan, a lotus-growing city in Hunan, this dessert has a place at banquet and wedding tables. At weddings it carries wishes for a lasting union and a flourishing family. The pale seeds are steamed until soft, then served in rock-sugar syrup, sometimes with fruit or other garnishes. It is a sweet course within Hunan’s wider food culture, whose range extends beyond chili.