Lotus Root Tempura
Serve these crunchy slices of lotus root covered with a light crispy batter as an appetizer, side dish or snack. The toppings are optional but highly recommended.
Ingredients
Tentsuyu sauce
- ¼ cup dashi
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon grated daikon
Tempura
- 1 lotus root
- 1 egg white
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons potato starch or corn starch
- cooking oil for deep frying
To garnish (optional)
- kizami nori (shredded nori)
- aonori (seaweed flakes)
- furikake (Japanese rice seasoning)
Instructions
- Peel the lotus root and cut into thin rings (between ⅛ and ¼ inch is a good peg).
- Place the sliced lotus on a plate lined with paper towels. Place another stack of paper towels over them and press down lightly to remove as much moisture as you can.
- In a mixing bowl, whip the egg white and salt until frothy.
- Stir in the starch, then drizzle in just enough iced water to form a thin batter.
- With the stove set on high, in a wok or frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least three inches.
- Dip each slice of lotus root in the batter and drop into the hot oil.
- Cook the battered lotus root slices in batches (never overcrowd the pan) until the batter turns into a crisp crust.
- Drain the lotus root tempura on a rack or strainer before tranferring to a plate.
- Serving suggestion: Stack the lotus root tempura on a plate, sprinkle with kizami nori, aonori and furikake.
- Serve your lotus root tempura with tentsuyu sauce for dipping.