Sweet and Sour Lotus Root
Actually, it’s a rhizome. But never mind that.
I ordered sweet and sour lotus root at a restaurant not too long ago, and it was my favorite dish of the evening. Naturally, I tried to replicate it at home the very next day.
I looked at the wildly different recipes in Fuschia Dunlop’s two cookbooks, one giving the Sichuan version of this dish, and the other the Hunan version. My version uses elements from both of hers, combined with my memory of what I had tasted when ordering it at Grand Szechuan on St. Mark’s Place in Manhattan, and my general technique for stir-frying (and trying to avoid deep-frying when it’s too cold out to open the kitchen windows).
The lotus root remains crisp when lightly fried, and somewhat sweet. It loses its starchiness when cooked. The sauce is a fairly straightforward sweet and sour sauce, just thick enough to perfectly coat each slice of lotus root. As you make it, feel free to adjust the vinegar and/or sugar to taste to achieve the right balance of sweet and sour for your palate.
I find this delicately beautiful and tasty dish to be utterly addictive, which is a good thing, considering how much lotus root is sitting on my counter right now, waiting to be used.
Sweet and Sour Lotus Root
2/3 lb. lotus root, or 2 sections
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp granulated sugar
4 tsp Chinkiang vinegar (balsamic vinegar makes a decent substitute, if need be)
3 3/4 tsp corn starch
3/4 C chicken stock
1 dried Chinese chili (the slender, pointed sort that come about 2″ long)
2 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
3 scallions, only the green parts, finely chopped
Sesame oil to taste
Peel the lotus root and slice it into 1/8″ thick slices. Put the slices in a bowl of lightly salted room-temperature water while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients.
Create a slurry of the salt, sugar, vinegar, corn starch, and a spoonful of the chicken stock. The idea here is to whisk the corn starch well with the other ingredients so that it does not get lumpy later on.
Remove the lotus root slices from the water and pat them dry.
Heat your wok until it just starts to smoke, then swirl in enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Stir-fry the lotus root slices until they almost begin to brown, but not quite – they will turn a bit more translucent and taste less starchy when they are done. It really does help to do this in smaller batches. As they cook, remove them to a plate covered in paper towels to drain.
Once all the lotus root slices are fried and set aside, throw the single chili into the oil, along with the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for a moment, until fragrant, then add the chicken stock and, immediately afterwards, the slurry you created earlier. Stir the sauce as it boils and thickens.
When the sauce is thick, remove from heat and stir in the lotus root slices and the scallions, and, if you like, sesame oil to taste.
Serve with rice and several other dishes for a family-style feast.
I’ve had lotus root a couple times but have never cooked with it.
Is it possible to stuff it??? Could be interesting…
I’ve never been a huge fan of lotus root, but your pictures and the view of the sauce- perfectly clinging but not overwhelming- are almost enough to change my mind. I know I’m a bit too enthusiastic sometimes (is there such a thing?!) but ooh I LOVE that dish and along with that tablecloth, adorable! It’s so autumn. Today’s weather makes me long for … well, not autumn, because then this would be yet to come, but still. Ahhh….
You certainly make look lotus root look more beautiful and tasty than I’ve ever had it.
I love lotus root, but never had any like you presented. It looks delicious and I am very pleased to hear that it has a sweet and sour taste, which is one of my favourite flavors as well.
I should try this. Thanks!
Brilynn – You can stuff lotus root, absolutely! I have a recipe for pork-stuffed lotus root that I mean to try out. And I’ve seen photos of sweet, honey-soaked lotus root stuffed with sweet glutinous rice. I want to reverse engineer and duplicate that at some point, too.
Yvo – I know what you mean! I don’t want autumn, but I want those intense colors. I’m so sick of wintery grey. I’m curious, though – what don’t you like about lotus root?
Tanna – Hm, this is starting to feel like a pattern. Sounds like you’re not much of a fan of lotus root, either. Why not?
Sue – Let me know how it goes when you try it!
I love those photos! Everything you photograph looks absolutely delicious. This is, of course, no exception.
Hmm…. I haven’t eaten it in a long time, my parents used to make me eat it when I was a kid, so I’m going by guessing and memory. It was bland; sometimes it was boiled in a soup and then it’d be chalky and just mushy; it never lived up to what I hoped it’d taste like just by looking at it. I guess also I associated it with a lot of things- the soup was made when I was sick, to make me better, or these things were served at Chinese banquets that I always hated because it meant I’d have to eat Chinese food. (I look forward to Chinese banquets for the same reason now.)
What an interesting dish!
In Shanghai, they use lotus root as a sweet appetizer. The “holes” of the lotus root are stuffed with glutinous rice and then steamed and covered with some aromatic flower-infused syrup. OMG, it’s the best thing EVER!
I love lotus root–it has such a pleasing texture and dramatic appearance–but for some reason I rarely think to buy it. I’m definitely going to give this beautiful recipe a try, though.
[...] [...]
[...] just noticed that my photo of Sweet and Sour Lotus Root won in the Originality category for Does My Blog Look Good in This? – February, 2007. I am [...]