The shell of dried lotus seeds is hard and smooth. The method of shelling the lotus seeds is as follows: add 1000 ml of water to the pot and bring it to a boil, add 25 grams of alkali and mix well, then add 250 grams of dried lotus seeds and cover the pot. Sauté the lid briefly, then use a broom or something like a broom to push and rub the lotus seeds in the pot several times until the skins of the lotus seeds are peeled off (you must do it quickly, because over time, the lotus seeds will swell and the skin will not be easy to peel off) , rinse repeatedly with cold water, and then use a toothpick or fine needle to prick out the heart of the lotus seeds.

However, in local areas, there is also a local method for removing lotus seed shells in large quantities. To sum up, the main steps are as follows;

1. Boil the rice soup, pour in the dry Boil the lotus seeds until slightly swollen. Remove from the pot and drain the rice soup.

Second, coarse, put the boiled lotus seeds into plant ash or fine charcoal ash under heat, let it coat evenly with the fine ash, and then pile it up for an hour to dry it out.

Third, chop, hold the lotus seeds in one hand, hold the knife in the other hand, first remove the two ends of the lotus seeds, and then chop off the middle part, and a shelled lotus seed will come out.

This is the three-step process for chopping lotus seeds.

But in fact, soaking lotus seeds in cold water for a period of time can directly open the lotus seed shells, just a little slower.

But it cannot be used directly for cooking. The red layer inside must be removed; the lotus heart must be removed before it can be used for cooking or soup.

1. To remove the red coating, boil water in a pot, add edible alkali, add lotus seeds, and check the boiling condition while boiling until the red coating can be easily combined with the lotus meat. Remove it, drain it with cold water, stir it continuously while it is cooling, remove all the skin and then fish it out.

Second, boil the lotus seeds with the red coating removed in hot water. When the heads of the lotus seeds are slightly open, take them out and let them dry slightly. Use a bamboo skewer to push out the lotus core from the bottom of the lotus seeds. The lotus seeds are ready for cooking directly in the pot.

Extended information

1. There are two methods, as follows:

(1) Boiling method: Boil the water, and then put the lotus seeds into the pot , cook until soft.

(2) Acidification method. The shell of lotus seeds is a layer of fibrous tissue. You can soak it in vinegar to soften it at home.

2. Lotus seeds, the name of Chinese medicine. It is the dried and mature seeds of Nelumbonucifera Gaertn, a plant in the Nymphaeaceae family. Distributed in all provinces in northern and southern my country. It has the effects of nourishing the spleen, stopping diarrhea, stopping vaginal discharge, replenishing the kidneys and astringing essence, nourishing the heart and calming the nerves. It is often used for spleen deficiency, diarrhea, vaginal discharge, spermatorrhea, palpitations and insomnia.

3. Morphological characteristics: Lotus seeds are slightly oval or spherical, with a length of 1.2~1.8cm and a diameter of 0.8~1.4cm. The surface is light yellowish brown to reddish brown, with fine vertical lines and wide veins. One end has a nipple-like protrusion in the center, dark brown, with many cracks, and its periphery is slightly sunken. Hard quality. The seed coat is thin and difficult to peel off. There are two cotyledons, yellow-white, thick, with gaps in the middle, and green lotus seeds. Odorless, sweet, slightly astringent.

4. Perennial aquatic herb; the rhizome is transverse, thick, with enlarged internodes. There are many longitudinal ventilation pores inside, the nodes are constricted, black scale leaves grow above, and whisker-like adventitious roots grow below. The leaves are round, shield-shaped, 25-90 cm in diameter, the entire edge is slightly wavy, the upper surface is smooth, with white powder, the lower leaf veins shoot out from the center, with 1-2 forked branches; the petiole is thick, cylindrical, 1- 2 meters, hollow, with small thorns scattered outside.

5. The pedicel and petiole are equal or slightly longer, with scattered small thorns; the flower is 10-20 cm in diameter, beautiful and fragrant; the petals are red, pink or white, oblong-oval to obovate. , 5-10 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, gradually getting smaller from the outside to the inside, sometimes turning into stamens, with a rounded or slightly pointed apex; the anthers are strip-shaped, with slender filaments, borne under the receptacle; the style is extremely short, Stigma is raw; receptacle (lotus cell) is 5-10 cm in diameter. Nuts are oval or ovate, 1.8-2.5 cm long, the peel is textured, hard, dark brown when ripe; seeds (lotus seeds) are ovate or elliptical, 1.2-1.7 cm long, seed coat Red or white. The flowering period is from June to August, and the fruiting period is from August to October.