Seasoned minced prawns are put between lotus roots slices, then deep fried. Deep Fried Lotus Root and Prawn Sandwiches can be an appetiser, a side or a main. It all depends on how much you want to make and serve.
- 50g/1.8oz lotus roots (note 1)
- 2 tbsp cornflour/corn starch
- Oil for deep frying
- 150g/5.3oz uncooked peeled prawns/shrimps , deveined (note 2)
- 1 tbsp (heaped) shallots/scallions , finely chopped (note 3)
- ¼ tsp grated ginger (juice only)
- 1 ½ tbsp sake
- ½ tsp light soy sauce
- 2 pinches of salt
- ½ tbsp water
- Nasturtium (edible flower & leaves)
-
Peel lotus root skin and slice it to 3-4mm/⅛" thick round slices (note 5). As you slice lotus root, put it in a small bowl of water with 1 tbsp vinegar (this prevents the lotus root slices from getting brown).
-
Mince the prawns finely and place them in a bowl (note 6).
-
Add the remaining Prawn Mixture Ingredients and mix well. It should be a bit sticky.
-
Pat dry lotus root slices and place cornflour on a plate.
-
Take a pair of lotus root slices and place each of them on the cornflour so that the inside of the pair is covered with cornflour.
-
Hold one of the slices, cornflour side up, and place about 1 tablespoon (note 7) of the Prawn Mixture on it and spread evenly. Place the other slice on top with the cornflour side attached to the prawn mixture.
-
Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the remaining slices of lotus root. Do not discard cornflour as you will use it again.
-
Heat oil in a deep pot or a pan to 180C/356F.
-
Roll each lotus sandwich in the left-over cornflour so that the side of the sandwich where prawn mixture is showing is coated with cornflour.
-
Put a few lotus root sandwiches in the oil, one at a time and fry for 1-1.5 minutes.
-
Turn them over and cook further 1.5 minutes.
-
Transfer the lotus root sandwiches to a plate lined with a couple of layers of kitchen paper.
-
Serve hot or at room temperature with garnish.
1. My lotus root was thin, 5cm/2" in diameter.
2. You can use frozen prawns.
3. Use the white part if possible.
4. Garnish is optional but given that the dish is brownish with mot much variations, I thought something needs to accompany it. I grow nasturtium, so I used it today, but it can be a sprig of parsley. A wedge of lime would be good, too.
5. Depending on the thickness of the lotus root, the number of slices you get from the root varies. Try to get an even number of slices as you need to make a sandwich.
When placing in the vinegar water, try to maintain the order of the slices so that you can pair the slices that were next each other.
6. You can use a food processor but the intention is not to make a paste but to chop them into small pieces so that you get lumps of meat when cooked.
7. With my lotus root slices of about 5cm/2" in diameter, I could make 10 of them. If your slices are much larger, you will need less slices but more prawn mixture per sandwich. Then cut the sandwich in half after cooking.
8. Nutrition per serving.
serving: 138g calories: 181kcal fat: 7.8g (12%) saturated fat: 0.7g (3%) trans fat: 0.1g polyunsaturated fat: 1.4g monounsaturated fat: 5.2g cholesterol: 98mg (33%) sodium: 677mg (28%) potassium: 196mg (6%) carbohydrates: 13g (4%) dietary fibre: 0.9g (4%) sugar: 0.2g protein: 11g vitamin a: 3.4% vitamin c: 12% calcium: 4% iron: 2.8%