At first glance, it looks a little like a stale loaf of country bread. This must at least in part be due to the fact that it’s jet-lagged from its trip across the Pacific and had been forced to sit under the glaring artificial lights of the supermarket until I unceremoniously dropped it into my shopping basket.
Once peeled, though, it looks more like something you might want to put into your mouth. 蓮根 (renkon), or lotus root, is the rhizome of the lotus plant. It is a popular vegetable in many countries across Asia, especially in China and Japan. Lotus is planted in ponds or flooded fields, and the rhizomes are harvested from the mud six to nine months later. They can be used in a variety of preparations, from stir-fries to soups to pickles, and maintain a delightfully crunchy texture even when they are cooked.
In this festive-looking Japanese dish, renkon is sliced into thin rounds and braised in dashi (出汁 — Japanese soup stock) and then seasoned with sake, mirin, soy sauce and freshly toasted sesame seeds.
I surprised M, a native Japanese, with this dish one evening, and his first comment upon trying a few bites was:
“It tastes like home.”
I couldn’t think of a better compliment.
Joëlle
A festive dish featuring delightfully crunchy lotus root slices braised and seasoned with mirin, sake and soy sauce.
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Ingredients
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted
- 6-inch piece lotus root
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 small carrot (optional)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/4 cup dashi
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp gluten-free tamari
Instructions
- Toast your sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat until they become fragrant and start to change colour. Set them aside.
- Peel the lotus root and cut off the ends. Slice it into thin rounds of approximately the same width (1/8 to 1/4 inch).
- Place them in a bowl with water and vinegar and leave them to soak for 5 to 10 minutes, to get rid of any impurities and to reduce the astringency.
- Optional step: slice a carrot into 1/8-inch slices and cut them into decorative shapes using a vegetable cutter (a small cookie cutter might also work).
- Discard the water, rinse the lotus root pieces well and dry them.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat, pour in the avocado oil and add the lotus root rounds. Gently move them around the pan for 5 minutes, add the carrots (if using) and the dashi, and cover the pan.
- Let the vegetables braise until they are almost cooked (The carrot is starting to soften and the lotus root is starting to turn transparent).
- Remove the lid and add the sake and mirin. Mix until the sake and most of the dashi have evaporated.
- Add the tamari and most of the sesame seeds and turn off the heat.
- Mix well, and serve, adding an extra sprinkle of sesame seeds on top. いただきます！
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