| Lotus seed bun | |
| Country: | China |
| Type: | Sweet bun |
| Main Ingredient: | Yeast-based dough, lotus seeds |
| T: | 蓮蓉包 |
| S: | 莲蓉包 |
| Showflag: | py |
| J: | lin⁴ jung⁴ baau¹ |
| Y: | lìhn yùhng bāau |
| P: | lián róng bāo |
| Bpmf: | ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄖㄨㄥˊ ㄅㄠ |
| Poj: | liân-jiông-pau |
| Phfs: | lièn yùng pâu |
A lotus seed bun (Traditional Chinese: 蓮蓉包；Jyutping: lin⁴ jung⁴ baau¹; pinyin: lián róng bāo) is a Chinese baozi filled with lotus seed paste. They are most commonly served as a form of dim sum.[1]
Lotus seed paste is a traditional Chinese cooking ingredient,[2] commonly used as a sweet pastry filling, such as in Lotus seed mooncakes.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6]
Lotus seed buns are prepared by steaming a yeast-leavened dough that contains lotus seed paste.[7] 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.