Lotus leaves are used to wrap food during cooking, infusing the contents with delicate, tea-like flavours. The large, dried lotus leaves, which come from the same family as water lillies, simply need rehydrating in warm water for half an hour to transform into thick, pliable leaves.

Try lining bamboo steamers with lotus leaves when cooking fish and meat. Use them to make a parcel of glutinous rice for the classic dim sum dish, lo mai gai, or even wrap an entire chicken in a lotus leaf for the traditional Chinese dish, Beggar’s Chicken.