Salt and Pepper Stuffed Lotus Root

I love lotus root especially in my soup. I usually boil them with pork ribs and peanuts. Beside that I sometimes do add them into stir-fry. I like the sweetness of this root vegetable and also adding extra crunch to a dish. The lotus root is a root vegetable that is indigenous to Asia, and is found underwater. Similar in shape to a long squash, it is not uncommon for lotus roots to grow to a length of four feet. The exterior of this root is covered with a peel that is a reddish brown color in appearance, with a white interior that has the appearance of lace. The meat of the lotus root has a texture that is slightly crunchy, and mildly sweet.

When I saw Messy Witchen prepared the lotus root in a different way I knew I have to try it out. She adapted the recipe from Flavor Magazine. Inspired by her dish, I came up with this. Instead of cooking the fried stuff lotus in sauce I just give it a quick toss in salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

100 gram fish paste
1 spring onions - chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
150 gram lotus roots – peel and sliced thinly
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 spring onions – sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (optional)
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorn – lightly toasted and crushed finely
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Mix the fish paste with the chopped spring onion, salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread the fish paste between 2 slices of lotus root to make a lotus root sandwich.
2. Lightly dust the stuff lotus root with cornstarch. Heat up a bit of oil, pan fried them on both side until golden brown. Remove and drain the oil on paper towel.
3. Remove all the oil from the frying pan; leave just about a tablespoon of oil. Stir in chopped garlic; stir fry until fragrant and lightly brown. Add in the fried lotus root, salt, pepper, Szechuan peppercorn and sliced spring onions. Give it a few toss and drizzle in the cooking wine.
4. Give it a few more toss, dish them out and serve.