Ingredients:
-2lb lotus stems (approx)
-1 1/2lb prawns
-coconut juice or water
-4 tbs sugar
-3 tbs vinegar
-1 ½ tbs fish sauce
-2 carrots
-fried shallots
-rau răm
-daikon slices for garnishing (optional)
-fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar to taste (if nessacary)

What to Do:
Cut lotus stems into approx 4 inch long pieces, then shred vertically in half. Julianne carrots and mix with lotus stems, sugar, fish sauce and vinegar. Marinate for at least ½ hour. Meanwhile, boil prawns in coconut juice or water, cool, peel and slice in half. Coarsely chop the fried shallots and rau răm. Squeeze out excess juices from the veggies after they’re done marinating then mix everything together and give the salad a taste test. All flavors should be ever, add fish sauce if saltiness is lacking, and lime juice if sourness is slacking.

To Make the Flower Garnish:
Soak the daikon slices in a solution made from water and vinegar, add coloring if you like. After about 15 mins the daikon slices should be wilted, remove them from the solution and squeeze out excess juices. Take one slice and roll it up this will be the flower’s center. Then wrap around the center 3 more slices this will be the center “layer” of the flower. Afterwards wrap 5 more slices around the 3 slices and center this will be the outer layer of the flower. Arrange the salad on a plate, use a chopstick to create a small hole in the center (not too deep, just enough to hold the flower). Place the flower into the hole; gently pull the petals out to make the flower “bloom”. The flower should have 3 layers consisting of 1 petal tightly wrapped in the center, 3 petals in the center layer that are just beginning to bloom and 5 petals in the outer layer widely open. An average flower requires at 9 daikon slices or “petals” (size of flowers depend on amount of petals used).