Hot weather eats: Lotus root salad 藕片凉拌

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Last weekend friends came over for supper and one of the things we made was a tasty lotus root salad. Kunming never gets terribly hot, but you can still definitely tell that it's Summer. A good time for such light, refreshing treats.

 

Here's how we did it in case you would like to try it yourself. Buy a fresh lotus root 莲藕 segment or two in the market. One is enough for two or three people, depending on its size. Two buying tips. The first is to select one which is still closed on both ends, since this prevents the interior from getting contaminated with mud and being gritty even after thorough washing. Here's a picture of what I mean.

 

 

The ends have not been broken or cut; they are both still intact. This also keeps the flesh a little more moist and fresh.

 

Second thing to consider is the weight. Don't need a scale, just find segments which feel heavy in your hand. This means the flesh will be less dry and juicier; more loaded with sweet lotus flavor. I prefer to buy smaller segments because they usually are younger and more tender.

 

 

Here's a comparison of a heavy piece and a light piece.I realize the difference is subtle, but it still counts. Heavy piece on the left; light one on the right.

 

Scrub it and peel it.

 

 

Cut into thin slices and immediately put them into acidic water so they don't turn an ugly black color. I used a small squeeze of lemon juice in the water, but if you had white vinegar you could use that instead.

 

Now turn your attention to a carrot 胡萝卜 and a couple stalks of crisp celery 芹菜。Scrub them clean and slice them thin. The celery looks best if you cut it on a bias. When cut, put these into dishes of lightly salted water to soak.

 

 

Make a sauce from a little white vinegar or lemon juice, plus a splash of light soy sauce 酱油, prickly ash oil 花椒油, and sesame seed oil 着麻油. Pinch of sugar, pinch of salt. Some recipes call for small amount of chicken bullion granules 鸡精 and MSG 味精。

 

If you don't have prickly ash oil you can omit it. You can also replace the sesame seed oil with olive oil. The dressing needs to be done with a light hand; you don't want it to conceal the natural flavor of the ingredients. They are delicate and need to be allowed to shine.

 

A word about the carrot. It plays a prominent role and if you can't find one that is tasty and sweet, you can use some thin-sliced red bell pepper 红辣椒 instead.

 

 

Now boil a pot of water, lightly salted. Put in the lotus root slices a few at a time and cook them for only one minute. Immediately fish them out and dunk them in a big bowl of ice water. Take them out as soon as they are cool. This "ice bath" step makes them real crisp and crunchy; enhances the texture.

 

Toss everything together and serve in a bowl. If you have a clear glass bowl, that looks real pretty.

 

 

 

Above pictures are of two different batches; one with carrots and one with red bell peppers. Both were instant winners. I served them alongside one of my all-time "guest food" favorites, stir fried broccoli and goat cheese 西兰花炒乳饼。Accompanied by steamed rice and fresh lemonade made with rose honey 玫瑰蜂蜜柠檬水。

 

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Here's a link to the stir fried broccoli and goat cheese mentioned above:

 

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/46802-broccoli-and-yunnan-goat-cheese-%E8%A5%BF%E5%85%B0%E8%8A%B1%E7%82%92%E4%B9%B3%E9%A5%BC/

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Wanted to add a footnote for people from the West who are new to China. You may be missing fresh salads; may have had trouble finding them in restaurants. Chinese are not in the habit of eating green leafy vegetables in their raw state. This habit most likely developed because they are often unsafe; can be a source of gastroenteritis/diarrhea or worse.

 

沙拉 is the Chinese for salad and you won't often see it on restaurant menus. In fact actually never if you mainly frequent smaller locals-type, family-style places. But what you will generally find is a selection of different 凉拌 liang ban. These are salads too, just made with more substantial ingredients, such as the recipe above for one made with lotus root.

 

Other popular liang ban dishes 凉拌 that you can frequently find feature 木耳 wood-ear mushrooms, and cucumber, such as 排黄瓜 or crushed cucumber。 Sometimes you will find sliced tomatoes, though these are often sprinkled and tossed with white sugar instead of a vinaigrette dressing. Sometimes you will see boiled white beans in a light sauce with bird's eye chilies and garlic. Cubes of pickled white radish 白萝卜 are common. Quite a few others as well.

 

So if you are missing your 沙拉 -- try looking at the 凉拌 part of the menu instead. Alternatively, these things are real easy to make at home and that allows you better control over the quality of the ingredients as well as the additives.

[Shelley]

Looks wonderful. Lotus root looks beautiful.

 

The difference between the heavy and light is quite obvious, the wholes are bigger on the lighter one.

 

Thanks for sharing.

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Exactly, Shelley. The light one was about half air!

 

Several places in China are known for their lotus root, and Yunnan is not one of the main ones. But we do have a small place about an hour south of Kunming near Fuxian Lake 抚仙湖 that produces outstanding ones, albeit not in huge quantities. They are locally prized and I buy them when they are available.

[Shelley]

What exactly is a lotus root, or more specifically what is a lotus plant?

 

I think I will have a quick search around the interweb

[skylee]

Lotus root - https://www.google.com.hk/search?q=lotus+root&prmd=iv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI_c-wociUxwIVg6CUCh3bEgNo&biw=360&bih=615

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I've read that "lotus root" technically isn't really a root, it's an underground or submerged part of the stem. Botanical term is "rhizome."

 

One episode of "Taste of China" showed people digging them up. They had to wade out in the mud. Real hard work.

[Shelley]

Good pictures, yes the pictures skylee posted a link to shows people wading out to harvest them.

 

Also a picture of a lotus root pizza, now there's an east west mashup

 

Beautiful flower and very pretty seed pod and seeds.

[Bigdumogre]

Lotus root is just so fresh and clean tasting. One of my favorite foods when I order it. So versatile too especially in hot pots.

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Agree. I always order it as one of the hot pot vegetables.

[889]

I'll put in a plug for 干煸莲藕. Common around Wuhan, but rare to find elsewhere.

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What is it, @889? Don't think I've ever had it.

 

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Edit: OK, I took a look and found some pictures and recipes. Looks good. Not sure I've seen it in Kunming. Seems it might require deep frying, which I don't do at home. Might be other methods; I didn't look real extensively.

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I tried making stuffed lotus slices a couple weeks ago. Stuffed them with ground meat and sticky rice, then sautéd in a wok. Had a hard time with it. Didn't come out well. Fell apart before getting crisp. A friend and her husband once made these for me at their house, and it didn't look all that difficult. Guess I should have paid closer attention.

 

Tried again a few days later using two slices of lotus, like a thin sandwich. That tasted better, but still didn't look good like it does in the restaurants. 

 

 

Will keep trying, and if I can work out how to make it both taste good and look nice, will post a method. Any great dish must please the eye as well as the palate.

[Bigdumogre]

Maybe try a egg as a binder to hold it onto the lotus root. Last time I had one like that had pork in the middle like a sandwich then a thin batter covering whole thing. But it was deep fried then I presume

[889]

干煸莲藕 is basically a vegetarian version of 干煸牛肉, in which thin crispy but chewy lotus root strips substitute for thin crispy but chewy beef strips. There's skill involved in 干煸'ing, so I think it's more a restaurant dish than one for home cooking.

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Pretty sure you're right about that being a restaurant dish, @889. I can only tackle relatively simple things at home. I'll be on the lookout for it next time I travel up to Hubei.

 

Good tip about using egg as a binder, @Big. That makes sense. I'll look at some more recipes.