Lotus root, or hasu as we call it in Hawaii, is a unique delicacy. Once you peel and slice this rather homely root (or rhizome) you’ll see how beautiful it is. Only available in Hawaii for a few months each year, I buy it as often as I can. With its snowflake like appearance when sliced and its crunchy and delicate flavor, it is wonderful sautéed and served with brown or white rice. This is my favorite way to prepare it.
Peeled and sliced lotus root. It’s crunchy with a mild flavor some say reminds them of jicama.
A simple combination of a few ingredients will add just the right depth of flavor to sautéed lotus root. Besides sautéing, lotus root can be used in soups, fried (crispy tempura), pickled or steamed. Its crispy texture holds up very well regardless of how it is prepared.
Renkon no Kinpira – Sautéed Lotus Root
Adapted from mmm-yoso!!!blog
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound lotus root, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 cups water
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 tablespoons sake
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
Ichimi Togarashi or cayenne pepper
Toasted sesame seeds
Preparation
Pour vinegar and water in to a large glass bowl. Peel the lotus root, rinse and slice thinly. Place in vinegar water.
Combine sake, soy sauce, sugar and mirin in a small bowl. Set aside.
Drain lotus root, place on paper towels and pat dry.
Heat sesame and canola oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté lotus root for about 5 minutes, Do not over cook. Add soy sauce mixture and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates about 2 minutes.
Remove lotus root to a shallow bowl. Sprinkle with Ichimi Togarashi (or cayenne pepper) and toasted sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.
Hi, Kiyo,
Your Japanese-Hawaiian recipes always look so gorgeous in color and rich and deep in flavor. I have never tried lotus root. However, before I even read that it is similar to jicama in your post, I thought to myself “the written descriptions and physical presentation looks so similar to jicama.” I adore jicama raw in salads and wonder if one could prepare it you do the precious, seasonal lotus root?
The unique foods available to you in Hawaii – and your creative and cultural preparations – are always fun to see and read about. I hope that you continue to stock-up on lotus root and prepare it often, until time runs out. 🙂
Have a lovely end-of-the-week!
Shanna
Hi Shanna,
I have stir fried jicama before and it stays quite crunchy so it might work in the same preparation. There’s something unique about lotus root. It’s a bit starchy and denser than jicama and holds up really well when sautéed. It’s quite forgiving if you happen to cook it a bit too long. Since it’s not easily found in the markets, jicama might be the perfect substitute.