Stir-Fry Lotus Root
This stir-fry lotus root with sugar snap peas and gingko nuts is really easy and healthy. I used to enjoy lotus root primarily in lotus root soup. After I ate “mala xiang guo” (spicy numbing stir-fry), I realised that lotus root tastes so good in a stir fry, with a fresh crunchy bite to it.
Lotus root, after cutting, will discolour quickly when exposed to air. To prevent discolouration, soak cut pieces in a bowl of water until ready to use.
See Also:
Some people also add vinegar in the water. I tried with and without vinegar and both ways worked equally, so to me the vinegar is not necessary. I usually buy my lotus root from Sheng Shiong supermarket, because they sell them in small sections. Many other supermarkets sells the entire root which take a longer time to finish.
Lotus Root Stir-Fry Recipe
Lotus root, after cutting, will discolour quickly when exposed to air. To prevent discolouration, soak cut pieces in a bowl of water until ready to use. There are many other ingredients that can be added in this stir-fry such as razor clams, black fungus and carrot.
Ingredients:
- 1 small section (about 200 grams) of lotus root (莲藕/renkon)
- 100 grams sugar snap peas or snow peas snap off both ends, pull and discard the “strings”
- 100 grams ready-t0-use gingko nuts
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese wine (hua tiao/shao xing) skip this if you don’t consume alcohol
Directions:
- Scrub clean the lotus root, remove the skin using a vegetable peeler, and slice as thinly as possible. Soak lotus root slices in a bowl of water until ready to use to prevent discoloration (up to a few hours).
- Heat oil in wok, add lotus root, snow peas, gingko nuts and soy sauce. Drizzle Chinese wine at the sides of the wok.
- Stir-fry quickly until the lotus root slices are cooked (slightly translucent) and still crunchy.