When most of us think "lotus," we may think of the beautiful aquatic flower or the yoga position. But did you know that the rhizome of the lotus plant is edible? On the outside it looks like a long cylindrical brown tuber, but slice one crosswise, and you'll be rewarded with beautiful, lace-like slices of a crunchy and delicious vegetable.
Ingredient Spotlight: Lotus Root
Lotus root is popular as a vegetable throughout South and East Asia, where it is cheap and plentiful. Its texture is crisp and crunchy like a jicama. Unlike a jicama, lotus root can't be eaten raw, and must be steamed or cooked first. Lotus root is available in Asian markets, and depending on location, I've seen them available at farmer's markets and in the exotic fruit and vegetable section of most supermarket produce departments.
When selecting a lotus root, choose one that is hard, with no soft spots. To prepare, peel off the brownish skin and slice the tuber crosswise in thin slices. Since lotus roots are starchy like potatoes, they start to discolor when exposed to air. To prevent this, place the slices in a bowl of cold water with a little bit of rice or white vinegar in it.
From here on, there are many things you can do with lotus root. If you'd like to use them in a salad, boil the slices for a few minutes in vinegared water until crisp-tender, then add to a salad of mixed Asian greens, mandarin oranges, and miso dressing.
You can also make a prepared lotus root side dish by boiling the slices in vinegared water until crisp-tender, then tossing them in a bowl with 1 cup of soy sauce, 1 tbsp. rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, and 1 tbsp sesame seeds. This can be served over rice. I added this prepared lotus root to my bowl of chirashi last week.
If you want to add the lotus root to a stir-fry, you don't need to boil them first as they will cook sufficiently in the stir-fry. Lotus root can also be dipped in tempura batter and deep-fried, or braised in mirin cooking wine and dashi.
(Images: Kathryn Hill)
Tags
Asian, Ingredients - Vegetables, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, exotic, Vietnamese, lotus, Southeast Asian, Cambodian, East Asian, Singaporean, South Asian, lotus root, renkonShare
Comments (14)
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I make them into "chips": slice them med-thick, sprinkle with olive oil, chinese 5 spices and salt, and grill them on the BBQ.
Mmmm
view lillies's profile
I make a recipe like yours and add a little sugar to the marinade mix - but serve it cold as a side dish. It's a beautiful vegetable.
view DCarl1's profile
My favorite Vietnamese place in my old neighborhood used to include these in a lot of their dishes. They always added such a beautiful, unusual touch!
view Brooklynnina's profile
I've had candied Lotus Roots at a Korean restaurant as a side dish and they were crunchy and sweet. I wish they were easily available. Does anyone know the Korean name for this candied version?
view ajdt's profile
They can also be grated and made into fritters (usually with other vegetables, such as carrot).
view cmcinnyc's profile
Ok, definitely need to give these another try. I didn't like them the first time I had them in a restaurant but some of these suggestions sound really good.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
My mom always used chunks of lotus root in her soups. It's a down-home Chinese thing to always have a large pot of soup on the go: a thin broth with pork or chicken bones, some veg and assorted dried flavour ingredients. The lotus root would soak up the flavours and have this amazing toothsome texture to it -- not quite crunchy, but not soft either.
view Michelle of Montreal's profile
All of the above suggestions are really good. The first time I had lotus root, it was sliced thin and fried like a potato chip.
I have a bag of prepped, sliced lotus root that I need to do something with. I'm thinking it's going into a bowl of udon.
view Kakugori's profile
Any ideas for dried lotus root? I purchased a bag of it but haven't found any good uses yet. I read about making lotus root tea with it, has anyone tried it? I am wondering what it tastes like.
view scarpino's profile
I love lotus root, but I know some people are put off by the sticky, fibres that stretch from your mouth each time you bite. It's like eating cobwebs.
view buda's profile
@buda, I have never had that experience eating lotus root. Are you eating it raw? (Japanese mountain yam, nothing at all like what I think of as a yam, yes, the sticky stuff. But not lotus root.)
view cmcinnyc's profile
@buda - I've never had that experience either. Sounds like it could happen if it were raw, but I never eat it raw - just barised or par-boiled. The texture is just crisp when cooked right - like an Asian apple-pear or a crisp apple.
view DCarl1's profile
I love lotus root! I'd never heard of it til I moved to the Bay Area and starting shopping at various Asian markets for the fun of it.
view KimberlyM's profile
@ajdt-i've never had candied lotus roots before and im not sure if they have a separate name for it. Lotus root in Korean is Yeon-gun.
view Fuzzyummy's profile