Detailed Guide to Making Candied Lotus Root Slices, Step-by-Step Teaching You How to Make Candied Lotus Root Slices

1. Selecting raw materials. Choose fresh lotus root with a slightly yellow skin, white flesh, and a diameter of about 4-5 cm; the white sugar should be white and transparent and meet hygiene standards. Do not use yellow, low-quality white sugar containing many impurities.

2. Pre-processing

1. Wash the lotus root clean in clean water, cut off the lotus root tips, and then rinse several times in clean water.

2. Prepare a 2.5% sodium hydroxide solution and heat the solution to 90°C; put the washed lotus root in and stir continuously; when the skin of the lotus root begins to peel off, remove it and rinse it in clean water until the lotus root skin is completely removed.

3. Cut the peeled lotus root into slices 5 mm thick, immediately put them into a 0.5% sodium bisulfite solution and soak for 90 minutes, then rinse clean.

4. After the above treatment, the lotus root slices should be pre-cooked. This can not only inhibit the action of microorganisms and enzymes and prevent oxidative discoloration, but also properly soften the lotus root slices so that the sugar can penetrate easily. The pre-cooked lotus root slices should be slightly softened.

3. Soaking and boiling

1. Formula: 50 kg fresh lotus root, 25 kg white sugar, a certain number of grams of citric acid.

2. Prepare the sugar liquid: 18.5 kg clean water, 12.5 kg white sugar, 60 g citric acid. Dissolve the white sugar with clean water, add the citric acid, and after fully stirring, keep the pH value of the sugar liquid between 2-2.5. This is the first soaking and boiling liquid. The second soaking and boiling liquid can be prepared from the sugar liquid left after the first soaking and boiling, or prepared anew. No matter how it is prepared, the sugar content of the first soaking and boiling is 40%, and the sugar content of each subsequent soaking and boiling liquid is 10% more than the previous one. However, the pH value must all be controlled within the range of 2-2.5.

3. Boiling: Bring the first soaking and boiling liquid to a boil, then add the pre-processed lotus root slices, stirring constantly while boiling. When the lotus root slices soften, pour them together with the sugar liquid into a vat and soak for 24 hours. After that, put the lotus root slices into the second soaking and boiling liquid and simmer for 15 minutes, then pour them together with the sugar liquid into a vat and soak for 24 hours. The third soaking and boiling time is 10 minutes, and the soaking time is 2 days. Finally, remove them and drain the sugar liquid to obtain the semi-finished product.

4. Notes: Whether pre-cooking or soaking and boiling, an iron pot must not be used, because using an iron pot easily produces black substances and affects product quality.

4. Baking. Place the boiled lotus root slices in a drying room at about 65°C to dry, then coat with sugar. Method for coating with sugar: use 50% sucrose, 1.67% starch syrup, and 33.3% water to prepare a solution. Boil to 113°C, remove from the heat and cool to 93°C, then put the dried lotus root slices into the sugar liquid and soak for 2 minutes, remove and drain. Then place in a drying room at 50°C to dry. After drying, the candied lotus root slices are sorted and can be packaged and stored in the warehouse.