Do you only know about lotus pods? There are so many delicious things in the water!

Audit expert: Shen Tingting

PhD in Botany

The autumn wind blows, and the autumn in the south is fast-forwarded. In the Jiangnan water town in autumn, you can enjoy the pleasant scenery and taste the delicious food. The natural flavor of Jiangnan in autumn is hidden in the clear rhyme of the pond. Today, the editor will take you to taste the taste of Jiangnan lotus pods, red water chestnuts and chicken head rice~

The lotus pod is full of treasures

"I like naughty children the most, lying by the stream and peeling lotus pods." After being carved by the summer sun and baptized by the rain, the lotus has shed its delicate outer coat, and the lotus pod stands alone on the lotus stem. The lotus pod is also called the lotus pod. It matures after the petals fall off from August to October every year. The lotus pod is actually formed by the honeycomb-like holes on the surface of the receptacle expanding after fertilization. The small fruit formed in each hole is the lotus seed.

There are many varieties of lotus, and different varieties have different requirements for water levels. Large-plant lotus like Red Thousand Leaf requires relatively deeper water levels, but it cannot exceed 1.7 meters, while small and medium-sized lotus requires a water level of 20 to 60 centimeters deep.

Source: unsplash

The lotus pod is a treasure from head to toe, and every part of it has its own special function. The lotus pod that wraps the lotus seed can be used as medicine, and is a good product for removing blood stasis and stopping bleeding; the lotus seed is also quite useful, and can calm the mind, strengthen the spleen and stop diarrhea, and replenish qi; the slightly bitter green bud in the center of the lotus seed is called the lotus core, and it has the effect of removing heat, lowering blood pressure, and lowering blood sugar.

Source: unsplash

There are many ways to eat lotus pods. The most convenient way to eat fresh lotus pods is to peel them and eat them directly. Peel off the green shell, revealing the white and tender lotus seeds and put them in your mouth, and you can feel the original sweet taste of lotus seeds spreading in your mouth. After drying the lotus pods, take out the lotus seeds and remove the lotus core. Use the lotus seeds to cook porridge or stew soup, which can nourish the body; use the lotus core to make tea, which can clear away heat and detoxify. The lotus pod shell will not be wasted, and can be boiled or soaked in water. Boiling in clean water can lower blood sugar and prevent diabetes, and soaking in water can feel its unique fragrance. How about it, do you know how to eat the lotus pods that are full of treasures?

"Ginseng in Water" Chicken Head Rice

Wang Zengqi said: "The chicken head rice is old, the new walnuts are coming down, and summer is almost over." Chicken head rice, scientifically known as Gorgon fruit, is an aquatic plant of the genus Gorgon in the Nymphaeaceae family. It is named Gorgon fruit because its fruit has many thorns on the outside that look like a chicken head. Gorgon fruit is one of the famous "Eight Water Immortals" in Jiangnan, and is also known as "Ginseng in Water". Gorgon fruit generally grows in ponds and lakes, blooms in July and August, and bears fruit in August and September. Gorgon fruit has leaves of different shapes. Its submerged leaves are arrow-shaped or elliptical kidney-shaped, while the floating leaves are elliptical kidney-shaped to round. Gorgon fruit has thick petioles and pedicels, the inner side of the calyx is purple, the petals are purple-red, the berries are dirty purple-red spherical, and the seeds are black spherical.

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia

The shape of the fruit is like a chicken head. Source: A shopping website

Gorgon fruit is rich in carbohydrates, fat, protein, minerals and vitamins, etc. It is easily absorbed by the human body and has high nutritional value. In addition to being eaten, Gorgon fruit can also be used as medicine , which has the effects of benefiting the kidney and strengthening essence, tonifying the spleen and stopping diarrhea, and removing dampness and stopping leukorrhea.

Peel the fruit and carefully remove the orange-yellow shell. The exposed white kernel is the edible part. There are many ways to eat chicken head rice. Chicken head rice can be eaten raw or mixed with salt, or cooked into porridge or soup to enjoy the sweet and soft taste. Chicken head rice can also be used to make desserts with osmanthus, coconut milk, white fungus, etc., which are sweet and fresh. Another common way to eat it is to stir-fry it with other ingredients such as shrimp, celery, and lotus root slices. The fragrant and soft taste of chicken head rice is matched with the freshness of vegetables. Just thinking about it is delicious!

Source: A shopping website

Red water chestnut, one of the "Eight Water Immortals"

The Compendium of Materia Medica records that "water chestnuts are sweet and mild in nature, and can relieve heat and food accumulation, and quench thirst". Water chestnuts are annual floating-leaf aquatic plants of the family Water chestnuts, and red water chestnuts are a species of water chestnuts. The leaves of red water chestnuts are smaller diamond-shaped, about 5.6 cm long and 7.7 cm wide. They are green overall and turn purple-red near the petiole. A red water chestnut plant has about 40 leaves when mature. The petioles and stems of red water chestnuts are both brown-red, and the petioles are about 22 cm long. A red water chestnut plate produces 7 to 8 fruits, and the fruit is about 2.8 cm high and 3.2 cm wide. The fruit of red water chestnuts is bright red, and each weighs about 14 grams. Red water chestnuts are suitable for planting in shallow, calm waters, and are not suitable for deep water breeding.

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia

Red water chestnuts have extremely high nutritional value. The vitamins, amino acids, minerals and other nutrients they contain are beneficial to the human body. Regular consumption of red water chestnuts can effectively improve immunity, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and also has a certain effect on resisting cancer.

Source: Zhejiang News

There are different ways to eat red water chestnuts of different maturity. Freshly picked tender red water chestnuts can be eaten raw. Bite open the hard shell, take out the tender flesh, and eat it directly to fully enjoy the raw sweetness in your mouth; or peel the flesh and stir-fry it, so as to ensure that the red water chestnuts are neither too raw nor too ripe, and maintain their own tender and crisp taste. When they grow into "old" water chestnuts, stewing and roasting the red water chestnut flesh is a great choice, such as roasting old water chestnut meat and roasting red water chestnut duck.

After introducing so many autumn delicacies in the south, I want to try them all. Are you tempted? Let’s catch the tail of autumn and taste these delicacies!