A lotus seed bun (Traditional Chinese: 蓮蓉包；Jyutping: lin⁴ jung⁴ baau¹; Cantonese Yale: lìhnyùhngbāau, pinyin: liánróngbāo) is a Chinese baozi filled with lotus seed paste. It is most commonly served as a form of dim sum.
History Lotus seed paste is a traditional Chinese cooking ingredient,GIUCA, L., & Courant Food Editor. (2003). NEW YEAR’S REVELATIONS ; TRADITIONAL CHINESE FOODS CARRY SYMBOLIC WEIGHT DURING YEAR OF THE GOAT CELEBRATION: STATEWIDE Edition. The Hartford Courant. commonly used as a sweet pastry filling, such as in Lotus seed mooncakes.Chan, B. (2021). How to bake with tradition; Making a classic mooncake with lotus seed paste and double egg yolk filling takes time and effort. Dim sum chef Tse Sun-fuk shows how it's done. South China Morning Post, 11-.
Lotus seed paste was used as a filling for sweet buns by Cantonese chefs, and rose to prominence sold as a form of dim sum.Tang, L. la. (2007). Mihn Baau: The localization and consumption of bread in Hong Kong (thesis). Mihn baau: the localization and consumption of bread in Hong Kong. The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
More recently lotus seed buns have become less popular, being sold at fewer dim sum restaurants, often being replaced by other buns with different fillings, such as cocktail buns.
Variations Longevity peaches, or 壽桃 (pinyin: shòu táo; Jyutping: sau⁶ tou⁴) are a form of lotus seed buns served to celebrate the birthdays of elderly people, symbolizing a good omen of longevity.
Preparation Lotus seed buns are prepared by steaming a yeast-leavened dough that contains lotus seed paste. Depending on which variation of lotus seed bun is served it can take different shapes, but is traditionally made from the same dough as cha siu baau. When served as a longevity peach, the dough is twisted into a peach shape and given a pink dye to resemble a peach.
See also Jjinppang Longevity peach List of buns List of steamed foods
References