Stir fried Lotus Root

Stir fried Lotus Root

My last post was titled, "a healthy Japanese feast" and featured Japanese grilled mackerel. Here's the vegetable recipe to accompany your fish dish- Stir fried Lotus Root.

The Japanese are advised to eat an impressive 13 different vegetables every day and this dish provides 4 of them, including lotus root (renkon in Japanese). I don't know if you've tried lotus root before - if you haven't, it's healthy stuff - lotus root contains lots of good minerals like potassium & iron & vitamin C and B6 as well. It's also high in fibre and protein. Lotus root when cooked has a crunchy texture and a subtle, nutty flavour. You can buy lotus root in fresh & frozen forms. Once lotus root is peeled and cut, it oxidises very quickly so if you don't plan to use it quickly, put it in water with a little vinegar to slow the oxidation down.

You can stir fry lotus root like I do here, or you can blanche it, simmer it, stew it or steam it - you can also use it for tempura - it really is quite versatile. It isn't something you can eat raw however.

You can find my video tutorial for this recipe on the bottom of this page and for the written recipe is as below. I'll be posting a third dish for your healthy Japanese feast early next week.

Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX.

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Ingredients: 2 servings

200g / 7oz lotus root

100g / 3.5oz mangetout

1/2 red pepper

1/2 yellow pepper

1 tbsp veg oil

1/2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

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how to:

peel the lotus root and soak it in water with a little vinegar for 15-20 mins

cut the lotus root in half lengthways and then cut into 5mm / 1/4in slices

remove the strings of the mangetout

cut the peppers into bite size pieces

heat the oil in a frying pan. add the lotus root and stir-fry for 2 mins

add & fry the mangetout for 1 min

add & fry peppers for another 2-3 mins 

add the mirin, soy sauce & sugar and stir fry for 30 secs

serve with a bowl of rice as a side dish

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Stir fried Lotus Root