Earthy flavour of the lotus stem

The lotus flower has, from time immemorial, been seen as a symbol of beauty and divinity. The lotus stem, also called lotus root in common parlance, is used in cooking, binding together taste and tradition, particularly in regions such as Jammu and Kashmir. 

Right from the time of the Mughals, cooks in the royal kitchens used local ingredients like the nadru (lotus stems) for adding an earthy flavour to slow-simmered creamy, fragrant gravy dishes such as nadru yakhni (lotus stem broth or stock). In recent times, the nadru yakhni has graced wedding tables — inspired by the Persian khoresh cooking style that was adopted in Mughal kitchens, thin nadru rounds are gently simmered with fragrant fennel, cardamom and other spices in a yoghurt-based gravy, until the gravy brings out the lotus root’s earthy flavour. In another curry called nadru palak, sautéed lotus root slices are combined with chopped spinach, and then, slow-cooked in a gravy, spiced with aromatic caraway seeds, fennel and hing until the lotus roots lend their flavour to the spiced gravy.

The reverence for the lotus root and its culinary heritage extends beyond Kashmir. At a special lunch, the lotus stem featured as the ingredient in several dishes — hearty lian ou tang soup of lotus stem rounds and pork ribs, sweetened with goji berries, crispy lotus stem fritters and even steamed lotus root dumplings stuffed with sticky rice. These dishes are typically served at a heritage eatery at Tangra, popularly called Kolkata’s Chinatown. 

In the late 18th century, when Chinese Hakka immigrants from Guangdong settled at Kolkata’s Tangra, they began to include indigenous ingredients in their traditional cuisines. Soon, nouveau Indo-Chinese lotus root cuisines came into circulation. Take for instance, the case of special Chinese New Year celebration dishes like the lianǒou tang soup that absorbed local flavours of the pungent mustard oil, turmeric and green chillies, all of which enhanced the earthy flavours of the lotus stem in the soup. Even today, the gently simmered lian ou tang soup, accompanied by fried momos served at Tangra’s heritage eateries, speaks of continued Indo-Chinese lotus root cooking styles.

Furthermore, health-wise, the lotus root is known to be rich in vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants. 

(What’s Cooking shines the spotlight on a single ingredient, its nutritional qualities and the ways in which you can use it.)