West Lake Lotus Root Starch
A translucent, jelly-like sweet made by whisking lotus root starch with boiling water until it thickens, topped with osmanthus sugar, dried fruit or nuts and eaten with a spoon.
How to eat it
It is served hot in a bowl, thickened to a translucent gel that wobbles when stirred. Eat it with a spoon, mixing the osmanthus sugar and toppings through as you go. Do not expect any lotus root texture; it is pure starch, closer to a warm pudding than a soup. To make the packet version at home, mix a spoonful with a little cold water first, then pour on boiling water and stir fast, or it turns lumpy. It is often chosen as a light stomach-settler after a heavy meal.
The story behind the dish
Lotus grows in ponds and paddies around Hangzhou, and drying the root into starch has been a way of storing it since at least the Qing dynasty, when the powder from the Yuhang district west of the city was reputedly sent to the imperial court. The name attaches it to West Lake, where lotus fills the water each summer, though most of the starch is produced in the countryside beyond. It became a standard Hangzhou gift because it keeps for months, weighs almost nothing and needs nothing but hot water, and it remains one of the city's most common souvenirs.
For reference
Every kitchen does it its own way. What follows is the typical version — ingredients, heat and price shift from city to city and from one restaurant to the next, so take it as a guide rather than a fixed recipe.