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Spicy Lotus Root Stir Fry

Spicy Lotus Root Stir Fry is a traditional Chinese recipe (from Sichuan) for a classic lucky New Year accompaniment of stir-fried lotus root with chillies. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Chinese version of: Spicy Lotus Root Stir Fry.

prep time

10 minutes

cook time

10 minutes

Total Time:

20 minutes

Additional Time:

(+over-night soaking)

Serves:

4

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Chilli RecipesVegetarian RecipesChina Recipes

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Ingredients:

For the Lotus Root:
12 slices Lotus root or about 2 segments washed, peeled and sliced
water, enough to cover the lotus root slices.
Salt, to taste
juice of ½ lemon in water or 2 tablespoons of vinegar to prevent oxidation if using fresh lotus root.

For the Stir-Fry Sauce:
2 tbsp Soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 tsp Sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
4 tbsp Water
1 tsp cornflour

For the Stir Fry:
1 tbsp light mild-flavoured Oil
3cm piece of Ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tsp Sriracha (or more to taste) [doubanjiang sauce also works well]
½ tsp Red chilli flakes, or to taste
2 Spring onions (white and green parts separated)
blanched lotus root
fresh red chilli, finely diced (to garnish)

Method:

Prepare the Lotus Root: If using fresh lotus root, prepare a bath of acidulated water with ½ lemon juice (or vinegar) and enough water to cover the lotus root slices. Set aside. Wash the fresh lotus root segments thoroughly. Peel and make sure you let the water run through the holes as they grow in mud - wash well. Slice about 3mm thick. Place the lotus root in the acidulated water.

Blanch the lotus root slices in the lemon or vinegar water for approximately 2 minutes in lightly boiling water with the lid on. Immediately drain and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well and set aside.

(If you're using refrigerated and pre-prepared lotus root slices they're usually preserved in citric acid solution you can skip this step. However, be sure to rinse well before using in the stir fry.)

For the stir-fry: Whilst your lotus root is blanching, make the stir fry sauce. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar or sugar alternatives, water, and cornstarch slurry together and set aside.

Place a wok over medium heat. Once hot add the oil and use to fry the ginger, Sriracha sauce, garlic, whites of the spring onion and the rinsed and drained blanched lotus root slices. Scatter over chilli flakes (or use minced fresh chillies) to attain the desired level of heat.

Fry the lotus root slices over medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side to get that nice little sear. If you have a small wok or frying pan, you may want to do this in batches to increase the pan’s capacity for full contact with each lotus root slice.

Finally, add the stir fry sauce and keep stirring until the sauce thickens.

Turn out onto a warmed serving dish, garnish with the sliced spring onion greens, scatter over more red chilli and serve.

Garnish stir fried lotus root with the green section of the green onions and red chili peppers as desired. Enjoy!

Find more Chinese New Year dishes on the Chinese New Year recipes page.