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Fried Lotus Root Sandwiches
Serves 2 (8 pieces) · About 40 min
Ground pork sandwiched between 2 thin slices of lotus root, coated with potato starch, and shallow-fried. Eat with mustard and soy sauce.
① Cut the lotus root→② Make the meat mixture→③ Sandwich and coat with starch→④ Heat the oil→⑤ Shallow-fry
What to buy
Vegetables
Meat
Seasonings & flour
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How to make it
1
Cut the lotus root
- Finely chop 10 cm of long green onion on the cutting board (for the meat mixture)
- Peel the lotus root and cut 16 slices 5 mm thick on the cutting board
- Soak in a bowl of water for 5 min (this keeps the cut sides from turning dark)
- Drain in a colander and pat dry well with paper towels
How to tell it's doneThe surfaces of all 16 lotus root slices are dry.
2
Make the meat mixture
- Put 150 g ground pork, the long green onion, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp sake and 1 tsp potato starch in a bowl
- Mix well with your hands for about 1 min until it gets sticky
- Divide into 8 equal portions
How to tell it's doneThe meat mixture is whitish and sticky enough to stick to your hands.
3
Sandwich and coat with starch
- Spread 2 tbsp potato starch on a tray or plate
- Lightly coat one side of a lotus root slice with potato starch, put one portion of the meat mixture on that side, and spread it out
- Coat one side of another slice with potato starch and put it on with that side facing the meat. Press down from the top to spread the meat to the edges
- Smooth any meat that squeezes out with your finger. Coat the whole outside with potato starch
- Make 8
How to tell it's doneYou've made 8, and the lotus root doesn't come off when you hold them. The meat is about 1 cm thick.
4
Heat the oil
- Pour vegetable oil 1 cm deep (about 200 ml) into a frying pan and put over medium heat
- Check the oil temperature: put the tip of dry cooking chopsticks in the oil. If small bubbles keep fizzing from the tip, it's about 170°C. If there are almost no bubbles, it's not hot enough yet. If big bubbles rush out hard, it's too hot, so turn the heat down
How to tell it's doneSmall bubbles keep fizzing from the tip of the chopsticks.
Be carefulOil may splatter. Do not leave while frying. Turn off the heat as soon as you're done, and clean up the oil only after it has cooled completely.
5
Shallow-fry
- When the oil is hot, turn to medium-low heat and gently lay in the lotus root sandwiches
- After 3–4 min, when the bottom is golden brown, flip and cook another 3–4 min
- Put on a rack or paper towels to drain the oil
- Turn off the heat. Put them on a plate, with 2 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp karashi in a small dish on the side
How to tell it's doneBoth sides are golden brown. Cut one in half: the meat inside is whitish, not pink, and the juices are clear.
Be carefulThe meat takes time to cook through, so don't use high heat. If it's too hot, only the outside burns and the inside stays raw. The oil may splatter. Don't walk away while frying. Turn off the heat as soon as you're done, and clean up the oil only after it has cooled completely.
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If it didn't work out
The lotus root came offYou didn't use potato starch in step 3, or didn't press hard enough. Next time, coat the inside of the lotus root with potato starch and press firmly.
The meat inside is pinkThe heat was too high, or the time was too short. If it's pink, cook over low heat 2–3 min more at a time. Next time, make the meat layer thinner (1 cm).
The lotus root is darkishYou didn't soak it in water in step 1. It tastes the same. Next time, soak it in water right after cutting.
OilyThe oil wasn't hot enough. Next time, in step 4 check how the bubbles look before adding them.
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