This simple dish, Crunchy Lotus Roots Sautéed in Dashi Butter gives you the realisation that the combination of dashi and butter is an umami taste sensation. The crunchiness of the lotus roots and the scent of the ocean from the aonori make it a perfect side dish as well as a nibble to go with drinks.
Lotus roots used to be a rare vegetable in Sydney. But these days you can buy them at Asian grocery stores and Asian vegetable shops, particularly in Autumn and Winter, which is the peak season.
A couple of months ago, I posted a lotus roots dish called Sautéed Lotus Roots with Chicken, and I decided to post another lotus root recipe today so that you can enjoy in-season fresh lotus roots cooked in a totally different way.
What’s in My Crunchy Lotus Roots Sautéed in Dashi Butter
- Lotus root
- Corn flour/cornstarch
- Butter (salted)
- Granular dashi powder
- Salt
- Aonori
Fresh lotus root is the best, but if you cannot source it, you can use thick slices of frozen lotus roots. The frozen lotus roots lack crunchiness but you can still enjoy the flavour. If the diameter of your frozen lotus root slices is very large, I would suggest that you halve them.
Crunchy Lotus Roots Sautéed in Dashi Butter made with frozen sliced lotus roots.
Aonori is a must in this recipe because it adds a different dimension to the flavour.
How to Make Crunchy Lotus Roots Sautéed in Dashi Butter
I cut the long tube of lotus root into triangular bite-size pieces. I like the triangular shape because it is more interesting, and it makes the piled lotus roots look attractive. But you can make thick slices instead.
- Quarter the lotus root lengthwise. Cut each stick diagonally followed by a straight cut, making bite-sized triangle shapes (see the step-by-step photo above).
- Coat the lotus root pieces in corn flour/cornstarch.
- Heat butter in a frying pan and sauté the lotus roots until lightly browned.
- Sprinkle dashi powder and salt over and mix.
- Turn the heat off and sprinkle aonori over and mix.
Fresh lotus roots keep much longer than leaf vegetables in the fridge, so I often keep one tube in my fridge. It is quite a handy ingredient to have when I want one more side dish quickly, or I just need a nibble to go with my drinks. Crunchy Lotus Roots Sautéed in Dashi Butter is so quick and easy to make.
You can make ahead and serve it next day. If you want to make the surface of the lotus root pieces crunchy, you can heat them up in the oven.
Yumiko
This simple dish, Crunchy Lotus Roots Sautéed in Dashi Butter, gives you the realisation that the combination of dashi and butter is an umami taste sensation. The crunchiness of the lotus roots and the scent of the ocean from the aonori make this a perfect dish as a side dish as well as a nibble to go with drinks.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 200g/7.1oz lotus root (note 1)
- 1 tbsp corn flour/cornstarch
- 20g/0.7oz butter
- 2 pinches granular dashi powder (note 2)
- 1-2 pinches salt
- 1 tsp aonori
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Quarter the lotus root lengthwise. Cut each stick diagonally followed by a straight cut, making bite-size triangle shapes (see the photo in the post, note 3).
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Put the lotus root pieces in a bowl filled with water for a minute or two, then drain.
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Pat-dry the lotus root pieces with kitchen paper.
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Put the lotus roots and corn flour in a bowl/tray/plastic bag. Toss the lotus roots ensuring that they are coated in corn flour. You may need to use your hands to evenly coat them.
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Heat a frying pan over medium-low to low heat and melt butter in it.
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When the butter starts bubbling, put the lotus roots in the pan and sauté for about 4-5 minutes (note 4). Toss occasionally to turn the lotus root pieces around and lightly brown all the surfaces evenly.
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Place a lid on the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, shaking the pan a couple of times.
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Remove the lid and sprinkle dashi powder and salt over the lotus roots and mix well, tossing a couple of times, so that the flavour coats the lotus root pieces evenly.
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Turn the heat off, and sprinkle aonori and mix. Then transfer the lotus roots to a serving bowl.
1. If your lotus root is very fresh and clean, you don’t need to peel the skin.
If you can’t find fresh lotus root, you can use frozen lotus roots that are cut into thick slices. You won’t be able to make triangle shapes with the frozen lotus roots, and the texture is not as crunchy as the fresh lotus roots, but it still tastes great. Defrost them before using them. If the size of the lotus root slice is large, halve it.
2. I used bonito dashi powder, but you can use konbu dashi powder if you want to make it vegetarian.
3. The length of the sides of my triangle was about 3cm/1⅛". Cutting the lotus root stick using the rangiri method also works.
4. Depending on the size of your lotus root pieces, the time required to cook lotus roots varies. It is best to undercook to retain crunchiness.
Uncooked lotus root is edible, so it’s OK if it is slightly uncooked in the middle.
5. You can keep Crunchy Lotus Roots Sautéed in Dashi Butter in the fridge for a couple of days, but it loses its crunchiness. You may want to heat up the lotus roots in the oven to make the surface crunchy.
6. Nutrition per serving.
serving: 57g calories: 76kcal fat: 4.2g (5%) saturated fat: 2.6g (13%) trans fat: 0.2g polyunsaturated fat: 0.2g monounsaturated fat: 1.1g cholesterol: 11mg (4%) sodium: 88mg (4%) carbohydrates: 9.4g (3%) dietary fibre: 1.7g (6%) sugar: 0.3g protein: 1g vitamin D: 0mcg (0%) calcium: 15mg (1%) iron: 0.5mg (3%) potassium: 190mg (4%)
Meal Ideas
A typical Japanese meal consists of a main dish, a couple of side dishes, a soup and rice. I try to come up with a combination of dishes with a variety of flavours, colours, textures and make-ahead dishes.
Since today’s recipe is a side dish that is crunchy and cooked in butter, I decided to pick a main dish that has a soft texture, cooked in no or a minimum amount of oil. A steamed dish is a perfect choice. I picked Sakamushi Fish, but if you prefer meat, you can have Steamed Rolled Chicken, Steamed Pork Meatballs, or Steamed Chicken and Fish with Vegetables.
Since Sakamushi Fish is quite small in size, I picked Gomoku-mame for Side dish 2 to supplement protein. But if you are selecting a different main dish, you may pick a totally different side dish.
- Main: Sakamushi Fish (Steamed Fish in Sake) – or streamed meat dish such as Steamed Rolled Chicken with Soy Sesame Sauce, Steamed Pork Meatballs with Corn, or Steamed Chicken and Fish with Vegetables.
- Side dish 1: Crunchy Lotus Roots Sautéed in Dashi Butter – today’s recipe, you can make ahead.
- Side dish 2: Gomoku-mame (Simmered Soybeans with Vegetables) – or other side dish.
- Soup: Miso Soup of your choice from Miso Soup Ingredient Combinations or your favourite ingredients.
- Rice: Cooked Rice.
Hi Yumiko – made these last night and I really enjoyed them. So easy to make, a nice use of lotus root, and so moreish with that dashi/butter combo! I was not able to find fresh lotus root but did find whole peeled and poached ones that worked well. I did need to add some water to the pan to do a pan steam to make them a bit less raw tasting. Next time I might use salted butter.
Hi Sandra, the degree of crunchiness is up to individual’s palate. So you did the right5 thing there.
Hi Yumiko san,
It’s George from Melbourne. I tried your renkon last night and it was truly delicious and crunchy. The family enjoyed it very much. The one thing that I did differently was to use powdered kombucha instead of dashi powder and aonori, mainly because I didn’t have aonori in the pantry. It was another delightful way to enjoy lotus root. Thank you.
George
Hi George, I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the dish. Konbucha is is also a great alternative!