On
scorching hot days, people seek a tranquil space where they can relax, and eat
dishes that can help them beat the heat. In today’s journey, we will tour the
Red River Delta province of Hung Yen to learn about an extremely cool dessert.
The
lotus seed and longan sweet soup is combined with the quintessence of summer’s
fruits and flowers. If Hung Yen longan is “the King of the Fruits”, the lotus
is “the Queen of the Flowers”. And the first ingredient to make the sweet soup
is fresh lotus seeds.
In
Hung Yen some days, you may be lost in a forest of longan.
Longans
planted in Hung Yen for generations are grown in the rich soil of the Red
River. So the longans are sweeter and smell better than others.
Ingredients
to cook the soup include lotus seeds, longans, cassava powder, sugar, and green
beans. The combination of longans with thick pulp and good smell, and the
buttery taste of lotus seeds brings an aromatic flavor.
Despite
not having striking colours or fancy decorations, the traditional dessert still
catches curiosity through its purity and refinement.
Che sen long nhan (lotus seed and longan sweet soup).
The
lotus seed and longan sweet soup not only exists in Hung Yen, but has become a
renowned speciality. This soup is a quintessential combination of flavour
between heaven and earth, the sweet fragrance of longan together with tasty
lotus seeds, which creates a distinct flavour of the countryside.
By VNA