Growing up in Kentucky in 90’s, we didn’t always have ready access to a variety of Asian vegetables. Occasionally the local Asian market would sell lotus roots, and my mom would buy it for us. Fast forward a few decades, we are so blessed to have more access to various Asian vegetables and specifically lotus root. Lotus root is a crunchy vegetable with a subtle sweetness that will even hold up its crunch when simmered in soups. My mother used to put it in pork soups. Sometimes she stir-fried it. Lotus root stir-fries well with other crunchy vegetables. Here I show you how I cook it with wood ear mushrooms.
What You’ll Need:
3 Rhizomes of Lotus root (There rhizome nodes between each rhizome)
1 – 1½ Cups Black wood ear mushrooms
1 Bunch Scallions
Salt
Pepper
- Separate each rhizome from each other by cutting at the rhizome nodes. Peel each rhizome and slice. No need to save the nodes.
- Cut the scallions. Separate the green parts from the white parts.
- In a pot (I typically use a Dutch oven), heat up oil. Stir fry the lotus. Once the lotus slices are generally covered in some oil, throw in the white parts of the scallion and the wood ear mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper as desired. As you’re stir-frying, add some water periodically to keep the lotus from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The water will mostly evaporate.
- The stir-frying process will take about 10 minutes. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, toss in the green parts of the scallion.