Lotus stem

Nelumbo nucifera · Vegetable

40 pairings

Lotus stem is the slender, edible stalk of the sacred lotus, Nelumbo nucifera — the long, juicy petiole that holds each round leaf or pink-white flower aloft above the pond. Known across the subcontinent as bhein, kamal kakri stalk or nadru, it is a different vegetable from the thick barrel-shaped rhizome sold as lotus root: this is the pencil-to-thumb-thick green-to-brown stem, cut into finger-lengths and cooked into curries, stir-fries, soups and salads. Snapped open, it too shows a ring of neat air channels and weeps fine elastic threads, but it eats leaner and springier — crunchy-fibrous, mildly sweet and grassy, a prized aquatic vegetable in Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh, China and across Southeast Asia.

Picking a good onedrag

Slim stalk, cut face wet and paleLimp and dried, cut face browned

Market freshThe all-rounder for stir-fries and spiced braises. Peel, slice on the bias, hold in acidulated water against browning, and cook it through.Everyday best

The cut faceDamp still, a tan rim at the edge, holes open

Snap and firmnessFirm with a little give, snaps rather than bends

Skin and gaugeSkin duller, a scuff or a bruise, still tight

What to look for, from slim stalk, cut face wet and pale to limp and dried, cut face browned.

Preparing