Braised Lotus Root: a Cool Metal and Water Side Dish

200 g of thinly sliced lotus root is blanched in vinegar water, then braised with soy sauce, a cup of water and rice syrup until glossy. A cool Metal and Water side, 2 servings in 30 minutes.

Elements	Metal · Water
Good in	autumn, winter
Suits	a warm-running (hot) constitution
Serves	2 · 30 min

A white root and a salty glaze

Lotus root is white inside, so the app tags it as Metal and describes its cool nature as bringing heat down. The soy sauce provides the salty taste, which the tradition links to Water, and the app says it supports the Water side of the dish.

Metal produces Water (金生水) in the generating cycle, so the two main ingredients sit next to each other on the circle. Rice syrup (jocheong) and sesame are Earth accents that add shine, sweetness and a nutty finish.

Season and body type

Lotus root is harvested from autumn into winter, and those are the seasons the app lists.

The nature is cool. The tradition reads cool dishes as suiting a constitution with more heat, 열이 많은 체질. Read as the tradition's way of pairing food and temperament, not as medical advice.

Ingredients and their elements

Burdock root can replace lotus root; the app then reads it as Earth rather than Metal.

Braised lotus root, 2 servings, 30 minutes
Ingredient	Amount	Element	Swap
Lotus root	200 g	Metal	Burdock root
Soy sauce	3 tbsp	Water	A little salt, 0.5 tsp
Rice syrup (jocheong)	2 tbsp	Earth	-
Sesame seeds	1 tsp	Earth	-

Ingredients

Lotus root 200 g (Metal)
A white root of Metal; its cool nature is read as bringing heat down.
Soy sauce 3 tbsp (Water)
The salty taste supports Water.
Rice syrup (jocheong) 2 tbsp (Earth)
Adds gloss and sweetness.
Sesame seeds 1 tsp (Earth)
A nutty finish.

How to make it

Slice the lotus root thinly and blanch in vinegar water for 5 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, 1 cup of water and the rice syrup, and braise over low heat.
When only a little liquid is left, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Questions

Why blanch in vinegar water?

The 5-minute blanch in vinegar water keeps the slices pale and crisp before braising.

What can replace rice syrup?

Honey or sugar gives similar sweetness, though rice syrup gives the classic gloss.

How does it keep?

Like most Korean side dishes, it is usually made in a batch and kept in the fridge for a few days.

Solar terms in this season

Liqiu Chushu Bailu Qiufen Cold Dew Frost Descent Start of Winter Minor Snow Major Snow Winter Solstice Minor Cold Major Cold

Baesuk: Steamed Pear with Bellflower Root and HoneyA whole Korean pear filled with bellflower root, honey and peppercorns and steamed for 25 minutes. Why the tradition reads it as Metal.Braised Tofu with Kelp: a Water and Earth Side DishTofu braised in kelp broth and soy sauce in 20 minutes. An even, year-round side dish the tradition reads as Water and Earth together.Chilled Cucumber Seaweed Soup and Black Bean RiceA 15-minute chilled seaweed and cucumber soup with black bean rice: a cool, Water-element summer meal and how the five-element tradition reads it.The Generating and Controlling Cycles of the Five ElementsHow the five elements feed one another in the generating cycle and keep one another in check in the controlling cycle, with two real days worked out.

See it for your chart → Open Haru

Traditional Four Pillars (myeongni) and yin-yang five-element interpretation. Not a medical diagnosis or advice.