Lotus Buns with Secret Lotus Paste Recipe
Centuries Old, These Lotus Buns are Still Fresh
Lotus Buns with Secret Lotus Paste Recipe is a traditional Cantonese-style dish with a rich history. Records of the dish date back to the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, as referenced in Dajun Qu’s Guangdong Xinyu. The sweet and delicious filling can be seen through the thin, soft dough wrapping, making this long-time favorite a unique and most welcomed addition at any dinner table.
Extra Tips from Cantonese Master Chefs
Don’t mash the lotus seeds for too long, otherwise the paste may become gritty. Mash the seeds in a copper pot to avoid blackening from oxidization. This will help with the texture and appearance of the lotus seed paste.
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Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ pounds (1,064 grams) sweet dough (see the Basics of Making Dough page)
- 7 salted egg yolks, each divided into four sections
- 2 ¼ cups (300 grams) flour
- 6 ½ ounces (188 grams) lard
Lotus Seed Paste
- 1 ⅓ pounds (600 grams) white lotus seed
- 12 cups water
- 1 ¼ cups (266 grams) peanut oil
- 3 cups (600 grams) white sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) soda water
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) malt sugar
Please see measurements in grams to be more exact for all ingredients and seasonings.
Cooking Directions
Preparations
- Soften the white lotus seeds
by soaking in water, and separate the shells from the hearts. Soak the lotus seed hearts in a mixture of regular water and soda water for 2 hours, then steam under high heat for another 1.5 hours. When the seeds have softened, drain as much of the water as possible and stir into a paste.
How to make lotus seed paste
- Bring a pot to heat, and cover the bottom with a layer of oil. Pour the lotus seeds into the pot, continuously mashing into a thicker, tougher paste. When the seed paste begins sticking to the bottom of the pot, add in the sugar and continue to mash. Pour in 1 cup of peanut oil and allow to fry for a short period of time before stirring in the malt sugar. Pour the remaining oil over top of the mixture.
How to make the dough wrapper
- Mix together the lard and flour.
- Roll the sweet dough and separate into 28 pieces, each weighing approximately 1 ⅓ ounces, and mix each piece with approximately 1/3 ounce of the lard and flour mixture. Use a rolling pin to flatten each piece into a rectangular shape, so that one side is 2 to 3 times longer than the other. Moving from right to left begin to wrap the dough, leaving an opening at the top. The finished dough wrapper should be approximately 2-3 inches in diameter.
Put it all together
- Place 1 ounce of the lotus seed paste and 1 piece of salted egg yolk into each dough wrapper.
- Place oil paper in the steamer, and arrange the buns on the paper. Cover and let sit for 1/2 hour.
- Steam under high heat for 3 minutes, then open the lid on the steamer pot to allow most of the steam to escape. Replace the lid and steam for an additional 4 minutes.