Spicy Lotus Roots

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These lotus roots are crunchy, spicy & sweet, a perfect appetizer for noodles or rice! Lotus roots have a lot of health benefits and are considered a ‘cooling food’ in Chinese herbal medicine.

Cooling foods are eaten in the summer when your body is hot, but also good if you have been eating a lot of ‘hot foods’ (chips, fried food). These spicy lotus roots are perfect with a bowl of noodles (specifically these sesame noodles). Check this yummy dish out!

Ingredients you need for your spicy lotus roots:

• lotus root
• water (for boiling lotus roots)
• soy sauce
• rice vinegar
• sesame seeds
• green onion
• cilantro

Spicy sauce:

• garlic cloves
• thai red chili flakes
• ginger
• salt
• sugar
• oil (canola or vegetable oil)

Steps to make the spicy lotus roots:

• Step 1. Wash the outside and inside of the lotus root. Since its a vegetable thats grown in the mud/dirt, I recommend to cut the lotus root in half and run some water inside. It also helps to use a chopstick to clean the dirt in the grooves of the lotus root.
• Step 2. After cleaning, peel the skin of the lotus root and cut off the ends.
• Step 3. Slice the lotus roots thinly and place the slices in a bowl of water. Soak for 5 minutes to get rid of excess starch. Pour out the water.
• Step 4. In a pot, add 3-4 cups of water and boil. Once the water is boiling, add lotus roots and cook for 3 minutes. Strain the lotus roots after cooking.
• Step 5. In a pan, heat 2 tbs oil until you see smoke. Once the oil is hot & smoking, turn the heat OFF. Immediately add the minced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon red chili flakes, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Mix continuously and cook for 1 minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
• Step 6. In a large bowl, mix lotus roots with the cooked spicy sauce. Add 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar, sesame seeds, sliced green onion, and cilantro. Gently mix so the lotus roots don’t break off. You can marinate the lotus roots for 30 minutes in the sauce or serve immediately.