The practice of stuffing lotus root with glutinous rice has a long history, and you can also feel the charm of these special delicacies during the production process. Lotus roots can be used in paintings. They are praised by the world for their freshness and elegance. They can also be used in dishes. They are refreshing and delicious, and are appreciated by everyone. The saying goes, "You can get the hall from the top, you can get the kitchen from the bottom." Lotus root is the lotus root. The roots of flowers are buried deep in the mud of the pond, which is what the saying "comes out of the mud but remains unstained". It is said that the darker the mud, the nobler the flowers. However, when it comes to cooking, the knowledge does not stop there. Speaking of lotus roots, they also come from ponds. If they are grown in a pool of stagnant water, they will definitely not be as good as those grown in living water. Moreover, if there are many kinds of fish in the pond, the nutrition will naturally be rich and balanced, and the lotus roots produced will naturally be more tender. Cooking with lotus root is very refreshing. The most common ones include sweet and sour lotus root slices, lotus root clips and lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice. Glutinous rice stuffed with lotus root is a traditional Jiangnan dish, or snack; if it is eaten, it is topped with sweet-scented osmanthus. Syrup is called osmanthus lotus root. Osmanthus sugar lotus root is the most famous in Hangzhou, because West Lake white lotus root is considered to be the best among lotus roots. When making glutinous rice stuffed lotus root, you need to use the old lotus root from every other year. The so-called old lotus root does not mean that you pick it every other year. Lotus roots that have been dried in the sun, and dug up again after the winter after the flowers and leaves have faded. The lotus roots at that time were the thickest. The lotus roots should be chosen to be white, white, fresh and watery. Of course they are beautiful, but they should also be thick and thick. The straight middle section has less mud in the hole, which makes it easier to stuff the glutinous rice in. In addition, prepare three to four taels of glutinous rice and soak it an hour or two before making. Some people like to scrape off the skin when washing the lotus root. , in fact, it is not necessary. Because lotus roots are very easy to oxidize, even if the skin is scraped off, there will still be a layer of black skin on the surface after the rice is stuffed. In fact, after the lotus roots are cooked, the skin will naturally rise, and you only need to gently tear it off. That's it. After washing, cut off one end of the lotus root into a finger-width piece. The cut piece can be immersed in water and covered back later. At this time, you should carefully observe the lotus root hole. If there is If there is mud, cut off the other end of the lotus root and wash it with fast and thin water through the hole. Then stuff the glutinous rice with it. If both ends of the lotus root have been cut off, remove one end first. Put the cut lotus root slices back according to the incision, and insert a few toothpicks vertically to fix it. Stand the lotus root up, scoop up rice one spoon at a time and place it on the lotus root holes. The holes are extremely small and the rice is light. It will never fall down by itself. All you have to do is push the rice into the hole with chopsticks, and keep pushing it all the way to the bottom. This is a very delicate job, because you can only put five or six grains of rice in each time, and you have to push the rice. Stuffing it all the way to the bottom requires a lot of patience. Here is a little trick: hold the lotus root with your hands and scoop out two or three spoonfuls of glutinous rice at a time, which saves a little time. Although it requires a lot of patience, it only takes a little time. You can stuff a lotus root in just fifteen minutes, which is much more convenient than the legendary method of stuffing meat into mung bean teeth. Remember, each hole must be stuffed tightly. Then, place the lotus root slices according to the incision. Cover it back and secure it with toothpicks, then put it in the pot and cook. Of course, the pot should be big and there should be a lot of water. The lotus roots must be submerged. Then, turn the heat to the maximum, and after the water boils, change to medium-low heat. And add rock sugar. Put 70 taels to a pound of rock sugar in a large pot of water and cook for at least four hours. Cutting the lotus root after it is cooked is also a skill. Do not cut it when it is hot, as it will break easily; it will not be easy to cut when it is cold. Eat. After taking out the lotus root, gently peel off the outer skin. When the lotus root is not hot, cut it into slices and eat it while it is hot. It will be the most fragrant and glutinous. The knife used to cut the lotus root should be thin enough and fast enough. It must also be done neatly, one knife after another, and must not be sloppy, otherwise, the glutinous rice in the lotus root hole will be brought out by the knife. The plate for holding the lotus root does not need to be fancy, simple is best. A pure white porcelain plate with reddish glutinous rice and lotus root is already the best. Perfect match. The sweetness of this glutinous rice lotus root relies on the slow fire and large soup to cook it in slowly. The sweetness is intentional or unintentional without covering up the original fragrance of the lotus root. This method requires patience. It must not be cooked in a pressure cooker like the market stalls, and then topped with extremely thick cheap brown sugar juice. That kind of glutinous rice lotus root is unappetizing.