Dashu, or "great heat," marks the beginning of the hottest period of the year. Dashu falls on July 22 this year, a time when the sun is normally scorching during the day, with high temperatures lingering on into the night. Given the high temperature and humidity in the air, thunderstorms also happen from time to time.

On farmland, the growth of crops usually slows down during this period due to the excessive heat. Only a few plants grow well when it is very hot and one of them is the lotus. And the hotter it gets, the more fragrance the lotus emits.

This vastly versatile plant offers people more than just pretty petals that float on the surface of lakes and ponds. The less attractive parts, such as the leaves, roots and seeds, are all in season around the time of dashu. 

The Global Times has selected some healthy and seasonal recipes highlighting the lotus, and that can be easily prepared at home. 

Sweet-and-sour lotus root

Lotus roots are less starchy in the season when its flowers bloom. The flesh of lotus roots has a mild, crispy texture when raw, and this means it can be cooked in many ways. Slices of lotus root will keep their crisp texture if they are lightly stir-fried.

The taste is even better when they are coated in a simple sweet-and-sour sauce. Feel free to adjust the vinegar and sugar proportions, so that you can achieve the right balance between sweet and sour. 

Ingredients: 300 grams lotus root, three spring onions (the green shoots), one dried and pointed red Chinese chili, half a teaspoon salt, two tablespoons sugar, four teaspoons vinegar, two tablespoons chicken stock, two or three teaspoons olive oil.

Method:

Peel the lotus root and slice into pieces

Put the slices in a bowl of lightly salted, room-temperature water to prevent them turning a "rusty" color while you are preparing the other ingredients

Finely chop the chili and green spring onion

Pour two to three teaspoons olive oil on the bottom of the pan and heat until it starts to smoke

Throw in the finely-chopped chili along with the spring onion, and stirfry until fragrant

Remove the lotus root slices from the water and carefully dry

Put the slices into the pan and stir-fry until they start to turn brown

Add the two spoonfuls of chicken stock, the salt, and sugar together, while continually stir-frying the slices

Add the vinegar shortly before removing the mix from the heat, and serve with a bowl of rice

Steamed chicken in lotus leaf

Lotus leaf is often used in Chinese herbal tea for its slimming effects, and studies show that it can also reduce cholesterol levels. Like other edible parts of the plant, it belongs to the food category that is said to be "cold" in nature and can therefore reduce internal heat, according to the theories of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

"But for weak people, it is not suggested to have too much 'cold' food because it can be detrimental to maintaining yangqi, or the internal vital energy which usually thrives in the body. We can instead eat some mutton or chicken to supplement this vital energy," Cai Jun, director of the nutrition division at Shanghai Longhua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, told the Global Times.

For culinary use, lotus leaves can also be used to wrap chicken in to give a special aroma to the dish.

Ingredients: a half chicken chopped into small pieces, five dried mushrooms, 10 to 15 red dates, 30 grams finely-sliced Chinese ham, one or two pieces of dried lotus leaf, three or four slices of ginger, two to three green spring onions, two teaspoons light soy sauce, one teaspoon dark soy sauce, one teaspoon oyster sauce, two teaspoons cooking oil, one teaspoon Chinese rice wine, half teaspoon sugar, salt, pepper to taste.

Method:

Clean and soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for two or three hours, then dry away the excess water and thinly slice them

Wash the red dates and soak them in water for about 15 minutes, discard the water and slice them into halves

Boil three cups of water and briefly scald the lotus leaves until soft

Marinate the chicken pieces with ginger, spring onions and seasonings

Mix the mushrooms, dates, and the sliced Chinese ham into the marinated chicken pieces before wrapping

Lay out the lotus leaves and wrap the chicken pieces, with the other ingredients, into a parcel

Put the parcel on a plate to collect any juice in a steamer and steam on a high heat for at least 20 minutes

Unwrap the parcel when the chicken is fully cooked. Serve it hot with chopped spring onion