Three Easy Lotus Root Recipes

Have you seen lotus root when you shop in the Asian Market? If so, have you wondered how to cook it? Today, I am going to share 3 easy recipes to enjoy lotus root.

Ingredients for Stir Fry Lotus Root (小炒莲藕)
300 grams of lotus root peeled and sliced thinly
2.5 tbsp of cooking oil
3 Thai birds eye chili diced
2 tbsp of minced garlic
2 tsp of minced ginger
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of diced scallions as garnish

Instructions

Remove the lotus root joint and peel the skin. Next, slice the lotus root thinly.

Add a big drizzle of white vinegar to a pot of boiling water, then blanch the lotus root for 2 minutes. The vinegar prevents the lotus root from oxidation.

Remove the lotus root from the water and let it rest on the sieve so it can drain completely.

Turn the heat to medium and add a drizzle of oil to the wok along with the red dried chilies, Thai bird eye chili, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Stir until fragrant. Using both fresh and dried chilies will create a complex flavor. If you don’t eat spicy food, you can skip the chilies.

Toss in the blanched lotus root and add some salt to taste. Drizzle in 2 tsp of soy sauce. Keep mixing until the seasonings are well combined. Garnish with diced scallions and serve as a side dish.

Ingredients for Crispy Lotus Root Pancake (莲藕煎饼)

300 of lotus root grated
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp of salt
1 egg
2 tbsp of diced scallions
2-3 tbsp of oil to pan fry

Instructions

Peel the lotus root, then use the largest teeth on your grater to grate the lotus root into a big mixing bowl. Souped Up Tip: keep one lotus root joint and use it as a handle to safely grate the lotus root to the end.

Add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour to the grated lotus root, then season with 1.5 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of hoisin sauce, some salt, and white pepper to taste. Add the diced scallions and crack in 1 egg. Mix well, then roughly divide it into six batches.

Heat your frying pan until hot, then drizzle a generous amount of oil and swirl it to cover the pan. Carefully add one portion of the lotus root batter. Use a spoon to flatten the batter into a 4-inch pancake. Keep adding the rest of the lotus batter.

Fry the pancakes over medium heat for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown. Remove them from the frying pan and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Ingredients for Lotus Root Meatballs (莲藕肉丸)

140 g (5 oz) of lotus root, diced
340 g (12 oz) of ground pork
1 egg
3 tbsp of diced scallions
3 tbsp of diced cilantro
2 tbsp of minced garlic
1 tbsp of minced ginger

Instructions
Peel the lotus root and dice it finely. You can use a food processor if you have one.

Transfer the diced lotus root into a big mixing bowl, then add 340g (12 oz) of ground pork, one egg, 2 tbsp of minced garlic, 1 tbsp of minced ginger, 3 tbsp of diced scallions, 3 tbsp of diced cilantro, and 2.5 tbsp of cornstarch.

Season it with 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of fish sauce, 1 tbsp of oyster sauce, and some white pepper to taste. Mix it until the seasonings are well combined, then stir the meat in one direction for 5 minutes to develop the texture.

Heat the oil to 375 F. Grab some ground pork, and form it into a meatball. Carefully add the meatballs into the oil and fry over medium heat for a few minutes or until the meatballs are golden brown. If you don’t want to use that much oil to deep fry, you can flatten the meatballs into patties and pan-fry until golden brown.

Remove the meatballs from the oil and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

[SoupedUpRecipes]

When you shop in an Asian market, you will find lots of Chinese vegetables that you have never cooked before, such as bok choy, choy sum, Gai Lan, lettuce stem, bitter melon, wax gourd, yard beans, and mustard green... If you want me to do a take on other vegetables, let me know by leaving a comment. Thank you for watching =)

[barbaraguthrie]

Yes! Please educate us on vegetables that are in Asian markets but not in American grocery stores. I see so much beautiful produce in Asian stores that I would love to try.

[jeannine]

Lotus root use to be in do many Chinese dishes we had in the Chinese restaurants when I was growing up. These days there are hardly any Chinese vegetables being used anymore. It's so sad really. You are such a great teacher! Can't wait to try these recipes!

[MC-clip]

I just love your videos and really appreciate you providing thorough explanations of WHY you do what you do for each step. Nicely done!!

[louisel.sinniger]

Thank you for your videos on these “different” foods . I have seen different fruits or vegetables in market but with out information on how to use or even cook them. Your channel it my “go to site” to learn from. I will give these a try

[drhannibal]

I wanna say thank you so much for all your beatiful recipes am blessed with your channel I'm From Egypt and the Asian cuisine isn't really famous in our country but i always make asian food for my family and friends also you talk in a chill and humble way hope you all the best ♥️

[gabrieldartemius]

I love lotus root and I found that I loved to make it in your Hong Shao Rou recipe, together with the pork. And the best thing is, it doesn't matter that you simmer it for an hour and a half, the lotus roots are still crunchy by the end of it! It's amazing :D And now I have more recipes to try it on!
I'm going to make those meatballs immediately, this weekend they'll be in my table, I swear.
Also, I dunno about other asian vegetables but I would love more lotus root recipes!

[debrankine]

Such wonderful and creative recipes for lotus root. I’ve only ever made deep fried lotus root chips, which are so delicious, but now with these new recipes my lotus root game is fully on! Thank you so much Mandy for continually inspiring me to get out of my comfort zone in the kitchen.

[hollish]

Wonderful recipes! The pancakes look especially interesting. And so quick--I see many breakfast recipes that take 30-40 minutes. And I love meatballs. Finding new recipes is always great.

[gigglegrl]

Yes. More veggies, please. Thank you, Mandy. I loved your meatball shaping technique. I have never seen that before.

[composthis]

These look delicious, I love lotus root. Someday would you show us some ways to cook bitter melon? And tell us where you got those ADORABLE pepper grinders!

[shiites]

My wife and I just made the first recipe (stir fry) and it was as simple and insanely delicious as it looks!!! Thanks!!!!

[car.]

I love to visit Asian markets it has a lot of fresh vegetables and spices. ❤

[sherryrobinson]

I would like to thank you for showing lotus root and how to prepare it I was actually a terrified her for vegetable I didn't know how to cook it I thought it was similar to a potato or eggplant, thank you for showing me.❤

[goldilocksfh]

Absolutely great instructional video! I can’t wait to try the lotus root. Thank so much!

[kimberlybarber]

I will try the fresh lotus root recipes. I have bought it prepared from the grocery.
By the way I bought the knives and they are fantastic. The cleaver is so perfectly balanced I am able to cut things so much thinner.

[sarakatharina]

I bought vacuumed Lotus roots today, I cannot wait to try your ideas

[cookingsimplydelicious]

Thank you so much for sharing your recipe that you made, Looks so good and tasty.

[fabell]

It all looks so good! Also, the panda pepper shaker is so cute!

[iamSketchH]

Thanks! I used some lotus root in a recipe, but had some left over and wanted ideas on what I could make with them. This will work well!