I was excited to find lotus root in Australia, which is one of my favourite vegetables! I would like to share with you all about the lotus root, its many health benefits, and how to cook it at home.
Have you seen lotus root before? Lotus root, as the name suggests, is the root of lotus flowers. It is frequently used as a vegetable in Asian cuisines with deep fried, stir fried, braised and many other interesting ways of cooking this healthy food. The texture is similar to potato, but lotus root doesn’t have as high a starch content, that’s why it has much less carbohydrates and a lower GI (Glycemic Index).
You can see the other side through small holes in the lotus root. This shape is very unique and easy to use in cooking.
As a Japanese dietitian, I would love to recommend eating lotus roots in your daily meals.
A 100-gram serving of lotus root, which is slightly less than one root, contains 74 calories with zero cholesterol or fat, 3g of protein and 17g of carbohydrates, including 5g of fiber. This is about 5% of the daily recommended intake for protein, 6% of the daily recommended intake for carbohydrates and 25% of the daily recommended intake for fibre. Also, I have to mention that lotus root has lots of vitamins, including vitamin C (44mg/100g), B, B1, B2 and B6. Some mineral components include potassium (556mg/100g), iron(1.2mg/100g) and phosphorus(100mg/100g). These beneficial components show the reason why you should have lotus root!
5 amazing health benefits of lotus roots:
Healthy hamburg lotus root sandwich
Recipe
Ingredients:
1 Lotus root
1 Eggplant
500 g of minced chicken
1 pack of Chives / spring onion
Grated ginger (1 small block)
2 eggs
Dashi soy sauce (soy sauce 2: mirin 1: dashi 1)
Method
1. Grate 1/3 amount of the ginger, not too much, and mix with minced chicken and finely chopped chives.
2, Mix 2 eggs in a bowl, adding all together. Put aside chives as garnish.
3, Add and mix dashi soy sauce. Dashi sauce is multi-use which can be used with anything for Japanese cooking. (I eat soba noodles with dashi soy sauce too)
4, Slice lotus root and egg plant. I recommend around 1cm would be good for texture and to balance the portion with the minced chicken.
5, Spread lotus root and eggplant all over the cutting board to make the sandwiches.
6, Use sesame oil for more flavour. 
7, Put each sandwich into the pan. Cook with high heat until the side turns golden. Turn over and cook the other side.
8, If you don’t have a lid for your frypan, use foil instead. Put water (100ml), then cover until the water evaporates.
9, Serve with soy sauce, teriyaki sauce or even just by itself.
There are many more recipes for lotus root! if you have any questions, please leave a comment.
Where can you find lotus roots? Check this store where I found it. It might be best to call them ahead of time to see if they have it in stock!
2/34-48 Alexander St, Crows Nest, Crows Nest, ,
02 9439 3784
yuri
