Súp hạt sen is lotus seed soup. The lotus seeds are cooked until soft, and their cooking water becomes the base of the soup along with shrimp, shiitake mushrooms and tofu. It’s thickened with tapioca flour and finished with egg white stirred into long strands. If you’re vegetarian, you can leave out the shrimps. Plan ahead: the shrimp marinates for about 30 minutes. Ingredients 200 g lotus seeds 200 g fresh shrimp 3–4 shiitake mushrooms 1 fresh tofu piece Spices: salt, Maggi seasoning, pepper, sugar 1 egg white 1 tablespoon corn starch/tapioca flour Coriander, sesame oil, spring onion and purple onion (shallot) How to make súp hạt sen 1. Cook the lotus seeds Clean the lotus seeds carefully and pick out the core of each seed. Cook them in water until soft, then turn off the heat. Keep the water the lotus seeds were boiled in. 2. Prepare the shrimp Peel the shrimps and pull out the black line along each back. Clean them and pound them well. Marinate with 1 teaspoon salt and a little pepper, and wait about 30 minutes. 3. Prepare the mushrooms, tofu and onions Soak the shiitake mushrooms in water for about 15 minutes. Cut off the roots and slice them into medium cubes. Clean the tofu and cut it into cubes. Clean the spring onion and purple onion and slice them small. 4. Cook the soup Heat the oil in a pot, add the purple onion and fry until fragrant. Add the shrimps and stir-fry quickly for about 5–7 minutes. The author calls this the important step for the flavour. Pour all the lotus seeds from step 1, together with their cooking water, into the pot. Wait until it boils, then add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and cook for about 10–15 minutes. Add the tofu and cook over small heat for about 10 minutes. 5. Thicken the soup Mix the tapioca flour with a little water and stir well. When the pot comes back to the boil, pour it all in and season again to suit your taste. Don’t stop stirring while you pour the tapioca in. Cook until the soup becomes thick. Beat the egg white well and add it to the pot. Stir with chopsticks in one direction to make many long strands. Season again and turn off the heat. 6. Serve Before eating, top the soup with some sliced coriander, sesame oil and pepper. Eat it hot. Share:
