This item
Lotus Root
- Thick jointed segments
- Tan-brown outer skin
- Regular ring of holes in the cut surface
Vegetables
Lotus Root
A tan segmented underground stem whose cut surface has a distinctive ring of regular holes.
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3 identity clues
- Thick jointed segments
- Tan-brown outer skin
- Regular ring of holes in the cut surface
Names in other languages
- 繁體中文
- 蓮藕
- English
- Lotus Root
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Akar Teratai / Lotus Root (蓮藕)
- Tagalog
- Lotus Root (蓮藕)
Name in Cantonese (Jyutping): lin4 ngau5 No Cantonese voice on this device
What is it?
Lotus root is the Hong Kong market name for 蓮藕, the edible underground stem of the lotus plant.
How to identify it
Look for a thick short cylinder with jointed segments and tan-brown skin; slices show a ring of large holes around smaller central holes.
Common confusion
Compare
White Radish (Daikon)
- Long cylindrical white root
- Shoulder may be pale green
- Solid white cut surface without regular holes
How to identify it
Lotus root has regular holes in every slice; daikon has a solid white cut surface.
Common Hong Kong household uses
Commonly used in soup, sliced stir-fries and braises.
Choosing & preparing
Wash off soil under running water, peel, cut open and rinse any remaining mud from the holes.
Storage
Keep whole pieces dry and refrigerated; wrap cut pieces, refrigerate and use soon.
Helper tip
Check the holes of cut lotus root for trapped dark mud, mould or an off-odour.
What Ma’am or Sir may say
買兩節蓮藕煲湯，切面要乾淨。The employer wants two firm lotus-root segments with clean holes for soup.
Useful market phrase
唔該要兩節實淨蓮藕。Meaning: Two firm sections of Lotus Root, please.
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