When it comes to the hot and humid summer season, some friends may experience internal heat. At this time, they always feel the need to eat something refreshing. As the saying goes, "Eating bitter food in hot weather is better than tonics." Most bitter foods are known for their ability to eliminate dampness and heat. Among the many bitter foods, this time we recommend a seasonal food: lotus seeds.
Eating lotus seed soup has been popular since the Ming and Qing dynasties. According to "Qingbai Leichao", "In the hot summer days in the capital... fresh lotus seeds are mixed with small ice cubes" for banquets. According to traditional Chinese medicine, lotus seeds have a sweet and neutral taste, and they have the functions of tonifying the spleen and astringing the intestines, nourishing the heart, and benefiting the kidneys.
White lotus as an ingredient, red lotus for medicinal use
When buying lotus seeds, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the variety.
First of all, from the perspective of origin, lotus seeds are mainly produced in Hunan, Hubei, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and other places. Among them, lotus seeds produced in Hunan, known as Xianglian, are the most famous. Looking at Xianglian in more detail, it can be divided into three types: white lotus, red lotus, and winter melon lotus. The most common ones are white lotus and red lotus.
White lotus has the largest lotus pod and the most dense and numerous lotus seeds. The lotus seeds are round in shape, and the lotus meat is plump and firm. The quality is relatively good. It is mostly used as food, usually in dishes such as lotus seed soup, lotus seed porridge, eight treasure porridge, and lotus seed sweet soup. It can also be used for stewing chicken and duck.
The size of the lotus pod of red lotus is inconsistent, and the lotus seeds are relatively small and elongated. They have a slightly astringent taste and are generally used as medicine. The amount of lotus seeds used as medicine should be controlled, with 5-10 grams being appropriate.
Lotus seeds reduce internal heat, but people in the south need to be careful of stomach coldness
Why can lotus seeds and other naturally bitter foods reduce internal heat? Because bitter foods contain amino acids, bitter substances, alkaloids, etc., which have various effects such as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, heat-reducing and refreshing, refreshing and awakening the mind, and eliminating fatigue. However, it should be noted that most bitter vegetables have a bitter and cold nature, so they should not be eaten in large quantities at once, and people with weak spleen and stomach should eat less.
In the hot summer, people in the south generally think that it is most suitable to drink sugary and soupy drinks to reduce internal heat. However, this is a misconception.
For the same kind of heat-reducing and refreshing diet therapy, people in the south can tolerate much less than people in the north. Why is that? According to traditional Chinese medicine, the climate in the south is humid and hot, with mostly warm weather. People who grew up in such a climate generally have weaker spleen and stomach functions than people in the north.
Therefore, when using diet therapy to reduce internal heat, caution should be exercised in choosing the right method. Unless you have severe oral ulcers, dry mouth, or sore throat, it is not advisable to frequently use diet therapy to reduce internal heat in normal healthy conditions.
Lotus seeds are suitable for the weak spleen and stomach of middle-aged and elderly people
We also see packaging descriptions such as "coreless red lotus" and "coreless white lotus" in the market. What is the significance of these?
Coreless lotus seeds, also known as shelled lotus seeds, are lotus seeds from which the core has been removed by machines. The bitterness of lotus seeds comes from the core, which is the tender embryo in the center of the lotus seed and is green in color. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the core of the lotus seed has the effects of clearing heart heat, calming liver heat, stopping bleeding, and consolidating essence. It is used to treat symptoms such as restlessness and insomnia, dizziness and red eyes, vomiting blood, and nocturnal emissions. It can also help with sleep.
Whether to buy coreless lotus seeds or regular lotus seeds depends on personal preference.
For example, middle-aged and elderly people, especially those with poor spleen and stomach, are recommended to use shelled lotus seeds to stew soup or porridge. For those who are restless and dream a lot, they can use the lotus seed core alone, add a little salt, and boil it in water to be taken before bed every night.
Since the core of the lotus seed is more potent, it is generally recommended for adult males or those with severe internal heat, such as oral ulcers. Children, women, and the elderly are better off eating the lotus seed meat together, as the lotus seed meat has a tonifying effect on the spleen and can buffer the damage caused by the coldness of the lotus seed core to the body.
Lotus seed therapeutic recipes
Steamed Lotus Seed Pork
Ingredients: 100g dried lotus seeds, 100g fatty pork, appropriate amount of preserved vegetables, ginger, green onion, garlic, appropriate amount of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey.
Instructions:
1. Soak the lotus seeds for 3 hours, then rinse and set aside. Soak the preserved vegetables in water and blanch them, then remove and set aside. Finely chop the ginger, green onion, and garlic and set aside.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the fatty pork until it is 70-80% cooked. Remove and marinate in soy sauce and honey for 15 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a pan and deep-fry the marinated fatty pork until the skin is blistered. Remove and cut the pork into thin slices. Wrap the lotus seeds in the pork slices and tie them with green onion slices. Place them in a bowl.
4. Heat a little oil in a pan, stir-fry the chopped green onion, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then add the preserved vegetables and stir-fry. Place the preserved vegetables on top of the lotus seeds, then put them in a steamer and steam for 1 hour.
5. After steaming, invert the lotus seed meat onto a plate and drizzle with oyster sauce.
Cooking tips: Summer and autumn are the best seasons for eating lotus seeds. For fresh lotus seeds, even the ones still inside the lotus pod, how can they be peeled quickly and easily? You can start by peeling off the entire honeycomb-shaped surface along the edge of the lotus pod, leaving only the white fibrous membrane covering the lotus seed. Then remove the lotus seeds one by one, peeling off the white fibrous membrane and the green outer shell in turn. This way, you can get fresh and tender lotus seeds, and the taste of the dish will be even better.
Lotus Seed Sweet Soup
Ingredients: 50g dried lotus seeds, 10g rock sugar.
Instructions:
1. Wash all the dried lotus seeds in water and soak them in cold water for about 1 hour until they are slightly softened.
2. Take a pot, drain the soaked lotus seeds, and add water.
3. Add rock sugar and put it in an electric cooker. Place 4 cups of water in the outer pot and steam for about 2 hours.
Cooking tips: Some people like to remove the skin of the lotus seeds when stewing soup or porridge, as it improves the texture. In addition to buying pre-peeled lotus seeds, you can also peel them at home. Wash the lotus seeds and put them in freshly boiled water. Add some edible alkali and let them simmer for a few minutes. Then pour out the lotus seeds and rub them vigorously with your hands. This will quickly remove the skin. You can then make a delicious drink with the lotus seeds.
