flipLotus Root Stuffed with Glutinous Rice and Osmanthus Syrup (Guìhuā tángǒu)
Lotus Root Stuffed with Glutinous Rice and Osmanthus Syrup (Guìhuā tángǒu)
Why this dish? He Zehui was born in Suzhou, the gourmet capital of Jiangsu, where osmanthus perfumes autumn sweets. This candied lotus root is one of the proud sweets of her native region: a taste of the gardens and festivals of her childhood, far from the laboratories of Berlin and Paris where she spent her adult life.
Beautiful lotus roots, each hole stuffed with glutinous rice, slowly simmered in brown sugar syrup until amber and translucent, then sliced and drizzled with osmanthus honey. Tender, sweet, fragrant: the iconic pastry of Suzhou.
In Suzhou, when autumn came, the whole air smelled of osmanthus — you'd think the city was sweetening itself. My family would then prepare stuffed lotus root: we would patiently fill every tiny canal of the root with soaked glutinous rice, then let it melt for hours in brown sugar until it turned amber. We'd cut it into thin slices, a spoonful of osmanthus flowers in honey on top. It wasn't an everyday dish — it was the sweetness of festivals, the treat offered to guests with a cup of tea.
- •Lotus root — two nice sections (base to stuff)
- •Glutinous rice — a good handful (stuffing)
- •Brown sugar (in lumps) — generously (cooking syrup)
- •Osmanthus flowers candied in honey — a few spoonfuls (signature aroma)
- •Red dates (jujubes) — a handful (accompanying sweetness)
Lotus Root Stuffed with Glutinous Rice and Osmanthus Syrup (Guìhuā tángǒu)
Beautiful lotus roots, each hole stuffed with glutinous rice, slowly simmered in brown sugar syrup until amber and translucent, then sliced and drizzled with osmanthus honey. Tender, sweet, fragrant: the iconic pastry of Suzhou.
Why this dish? He Zehui was born in Suzhou, the gourmet capital of Jiangsu, where osmanthus perfumes autumn sweets. This candied lotus root is one of the proud sweets of her native region: a taste of the gardens and festivals of her childhood, far from the laboratories of Berlin and Paris where she spent her adult life.
In Suzhou, when autumn came, the whole air smelled of osmanthus — you'd think the city was sweetening itself. My family would then prepare stuffed lotus root: we would patiently fill every tiny canal of the root with soaked glutinous rice, then let it melt for hours in brown sugar until it turned amber. We'd cut it into thin slices, a spoonful of osmanthus flowers in honey on top. It wasn't an everyday dish — it was the sweetness of festivals, the treat offered to guests with a cup of tea.
Ingredients (period version)
- Lotus root — two nice sections (base to stuff)
- Glutinous rice — a good handful (stuffing)
- Brown sugar (in lumps) — generously (cooking syrup)
- Osmanthus flowers candied in honey — a few spoonfuls (signature aroma)
- Red dates (jujubes) — a handful (accompanying sweetness)
Ingredients
- Fresh lotus root — 2 sections (about 600 g) (base)
- Glutinous rice — 150 g, soaked 4 h (stuffing)
- Brown cane sugar (or dark brown sugar) — 150 g (syrup)
- Osmanthus preserve (guìhuā) in honey — 3 tbsp (signature aroma)
- Dried jujubes (red dates) — 6 (flavor and color)
- Water — about 1 liter (cooking)
Method
- Soak the glutinous rice for 4 hours. Peel the lotus root, cut a cap off one end of each section (keep the cap).
- Fill each hole of the lotus root with soaked glutinous rice using a chopstick, packing tightly. Close with the cap and secure with toothpicks.
- Place the lotus roots in a pot, cover with water, add the brown sugar and jujubes. Simmer covered for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the lotus root becomes amber and tender.
- Remove the lotus roots, reduce the remaining syrup. Slice the lotus root into 1 cm rounds, drizzle with syrup and a spoonful of osmanthus preserve.
How it was made : Guìhuā tángǒu is a traditional sweet of Suzhou and Hangzhou, attested for centuries in the Lake Tai region. It was once cooked for a very long time over embers, and osmanthus, harvested in autumn and preserved in honey or sugar, allowed its fragrance to be enjoyed all year round.
The contemporary twist : Arrange the slices in a fan on a lacquered plate, a streak of shiny syrup like a comma and a few osmanthus flowers scattered like gold dust: the delicacy of Suzhou gardens on a plate.
He Zehui · Charactorium
