Baked lotus rhizome chips

Components:

• 0.5 mm rhizome slices (200g)
• 200 ml of water
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
• neutral tasting oil
• salt

A method of preparing

Peel the rhizome and cut it into thin slices on the mandolin. We soak them for a minimum of a quarter of an hour in water with vinegar to get rid of bitterness. Then dry the slices thoroughly, put them into a dish, add a little salt and oil and shake them until they are thoroughly covered with fat. Place the slices on a rack and put them in the oven preheated to 200 degrees C. We observe the chips and put them out as soon as they turn golden (this happens very quickly, but missing the right moment may result in bitterness - chips, not ours.

Marinated lotus rhizome in Japanese (amazuke renkon)

Components:

• 2-3 mm slices of rhizome (200g)
• 200 ml of water
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 50 ml of rice vinegar
• 100ml of water
• 1/4 teaspoon dashi instant OR 1/4 teaspoon dried yuzu peel OR 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

A method of preparing

Peel the rhizome and cut it into thin slices on the mandolin. We soak them for at least a quarter of an hour in water with vinegar to get rid of bitterness (in Japanese this procedure is called aku-nuki). Then cook for 2 minutes and put into a marinade made of a combination of water, rice vinegar, salt, sugar and powdered dashi (or yuzu / ginger peel). We set aside for a minimum of 2 hours, but the best are after a night of lying down.
Marinated lotus rhizome in Japanese (amazuke renkon)

Marinated Japanese rhizome (amazuke renkon) - red version

Components:

• 2-3 mm slices of rhizome (200g)
• 200 ml of water
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 50 ml of rice vinegar
• 100ml of water
• half of the beetroot sliced or beet juice / purple perilla leaves / red cabbage / red food coloring

A method of preparing

Peel the rhizome and cut it into thin slices on the mandolin. We soak them for a minimum of a quarter of an hour in water with vinegar to get rid of bitterness. Then cook for 2 minutes and put into a marinade made of a combination of water, rice vinegar, salt, sugar and beetroot slices. We set aside for a minimum of 2 hours, but the best are after a night of lying down.

Braised lotus rhizome in Korean (Yeongeun jorim, 연근 조림)

Components

• 3-5 mm slices of rhizome (400g)
• 200 ml of water
• 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of rice syrup (or sugar)
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon of roasted sesame seeds
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped (possibly water from soaked shitake mushrooms or sardine and kombu broth)
• 300 ml of water
• frying oil with a neutral taste

A method of preparing

Peel the rhizome and cut it into thin slices on the mandolin. We soak them for a minimum of a quarter of an hour in water with 1 tablespoon of vinegar to get rid of bitterness. Then boil for 2 minutes in water with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and drain. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the lotus until it becomes slightly transparent. Add water, soy sauce and garlic and cook for 30 minutes until the sauce is reduced to half its volume. Then add the rice syrup and caramelize the slices. Finally, pour sesame oil and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds. As a result, we should get brown but transparent patches of the lotus rhizome.

Fried lotus rhizome chips

Components:

• 0.5 mm rhizome slices (200g)
• 200 ml of water
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
• neutral-tasting oil for frying
• salt (optional)

A method of preparing

Peel the rhizome and cut it into thin slices on the mandolin. We soak them for a minimum of a quarter of an hour in water with vinegar to get rid of bitterness. Then dry the slices thoroughly and fry in oil until they turn golden (the darker, the more bitter). Finally, drain the excess fat and sprinkle with salt.