During the coronavirus pandemic, many of us have spent more time in the kitchen and came to realise that cooking is not as easy as we thought. Preparing a dish requires buying, cleaning and chopping vegetables before cooking them. Today, we’ll be talking about one such vegetable: the lotus stem, cutting and cleaning, which many find tricky. However, it is used in Indian cuisine to make various dishes, including curries and koftas. Do you also like kamal-kakdi but have trouble making it ready for cooking?
Following are some tricks that you might find handy in the kitchen:
- First, cut the lotus stem from both sides along the edge. Then clean the stem with the help of a peeler. Make sure all the peels are cleaned thoroughly. Once this is done, wash it properly and clean the pores with water. If you still see dirt inside the pieces, you can use a toothpick or soak a cotton bud in warm water to clean the pores.
- Cut the hairy lotus stem diagonally as it is challenging to cut through it straight. It is also tricky to cook if it is cut straight? However, it is entirely up to you to chop the vegetable. Then, heat water and soak the lotus stem in it for a while. After that, it can be fried or boiled and made as a vegetable or kofta.
Benefits of lotus stem:
- Lotus stem is a powerhouse of nutrients, as it is rich in potassium, Vitamin C and B, and is essential for various body functions. For example, potassium regulates blood sugar levels, and Vitamin B helps to reduce stress and irritability.
- Pyridoxine is present in good quantity in the lotus stem, which helps in reducing stress. In addition, the consumption of lotus stem increases the number of red blood cells in the body.
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- Therefore, those who want to reduce fat must include lotus stem in their diet. It is rich in nutrients and deficient in calories, giving necessary energy to our body.
- Lotus stem also helps prevent water retention by absorbing excess sodium in the body.