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    Home » Recipes » Pantry

    Kung Pao Lotus Root

    Last Modified: February 3, 2023 by Elaine| 29 Comments

    2.3K shares
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    A great vegan choice of the famous Kung Pao Chicken--great flavor Kung pao lotus roots. Have you ever tried lotus root? Louts root is a crunchy vegetable that is so incredibly delicious. Previously I have tried to match kung pao sauce with cauliflower, and king oyster mushrooms. For me, the vegan kung pao dishes are even better than the worldwide popular kung pao chicken.

    kung pao lotus root|chinasichuanfood.com

    What's Lotus root ?

    Lotus root “莲藕” is a very popular ingredient in China, all across the country. It is the rhizome of the lotus plant, a magic vegetable with beautiful appearances. The lotus plant is grown in mud but it gives us a very treasure lotus root, lotus seeds, and beautiful lotus flower. Lotus root has won the popular as a vegetable on the table. Lotus seeds, whether eaten fresh or dried to make dried lotus seeds, can be further used to make lotus root paste. It may have several small tubes adjacent to each other. For the convenience of transportation, the small tubes are broken to form two or three tubes together. 

    Kung Pao Sauce

    Kung pao sauce, famous because of the universal chicken dish--kung pao chicken is a well-balanced spicy taste used in Sichuan cuisine.  Besides kung pao chicken, we widely use it in our daily cooking with several other chicken substitutes (mushrooms, potatoes, tofu, and lotus root used in this recipe).

    Ingredients

    Lotus root - peeled and cut into small diced. Before the stir-frying, we need to blanch the lotus root in boiling water for 1 minute.
    Toasted crispy peanuts - you can skip this or use a store-bought shortcut version.
    Aromatics - garlic, ginger, and scallion. The three help to enhance the flavor of the dish.
    Dried chili pepper - the red color and spicy taste of dried chili pepper are essential elements of kung pao dishes
    Sichuan peppercorn -this is the special ingredient in kung pao dishes, which yields both numbing sensation and spicy flavors to kung pao chicken
    Kung Pao Sauce - kung pao sauce provides the basic flavor of this dish.

    kung pao lotus root|chinasichuanfood.com

    Instructions

    Peel and cut lotus root into small dice around 2-3 cm in diameter. Bring a large pot of water, add a small pinch of salt, and blanch the lotus root for 1 minute. Transfer out and drain.

    Prepare the kung pao sauce.

    Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic, ginger, dried pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, and scallion sections over slow fire until aroma.

    kung pao lotus root|chinasichuanfood.com

    Place cooked lotus root pieces in, fry for another minute.

    kung pao lotus root|chinasichuanfood.com

    Pour in kung pao sauce, add peanuts, Garnish chopped scallion white, and serve with steamed rice.

    kung pao lotus root|chinasichuanfood.com
    kung pao lotus root|chinasichuanfood.com
    kung pao lotus root|chinasichuanfood.com

    Kung Pao Lotus Root

    Elaine
    Well balanced Kung pao lotus root using famous Kung Pao sauce
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Sichuan
    Servings 2
    Calories 571 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 400 g Lotus root , peeled and cut into 1 cm thick pieces
    • 2 garlic cloves , sliced
    • 1 small thumb ginger , sliced
    • ½ cup of toasted or fried skinless peanuts
    • 4 scallions , white part and green part separated
    • 6-10 dried chili peppers , change the amount according how hot you wish it to be
    • 2 tbsp. cooking oil
    • 15-20 whole Sichuan peppercorns

    Kung Pao Sauce

    • ½ tbsp. dark soy sauce
    • 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 1 tbsp. vinegar
    • ½ tsp. sugar
    • 1 tsp. sesame oil
    • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
    • 2 tbsp. water

    Instructions

    • Peel and cut lotus root into small dice around 2-3 cm in diameter. Bring a large pot of water, add a small pinch of salt, and blanch the lotus root for 1 minute. Transfer out and drain.
    • Prepare the kung pao sauce and all the other side ingredients.
    • Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic, ginger, dried pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, and scallion sections over slow fire until aroma.
    • Place cooked lotus root pieces in, fry for another minute.
    • Pour in kung pao sauce, add peanuts. Continue frying to make sure the sauce is well coated on each of the cubes. Garnish chopped scallion sections. Mix well. Serve hot.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 571kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 17gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 1670mgPotassium: 1538mgFiber: 15gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 641IUVitamin C: 94mgCalcium: 160mgIron: 5mg
    Keyword Kung Pao, Lotus Root
    Tried this recipe?Mention @ChinaSichuanFood
    kung pao lotus root|chinasichuanfood.com

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amanda Sylvester

      February 25, 2021 at 2:45 pm

      5 stars
      this was my first time cooking lotus root so i was a little nervous, but this is delicious! Thank you for the further info on pre-cooking them!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        February 27, 2021 at 9:03 pm

        Thanks Amanda. Yes, this lotus root is super crispy and yummy in this sauce. I am so happy to hear your good news. Happy cooking.

        Reply
    2. chris 06

      March 25, 2021 at 10:11 pm

      J'ai trouvé pour la première fois des racines congelées.
      Je vais donc les préparer suivant ta recette.
      Est-ce que les beignets de lotus c'est bon????Si oui, peux-tu m'offrir la recette?? Merci par avance et gros bisous . Chris 06

      Reply
    3. andy

      July 12, 2021 at 6:42 pm

      Hi! Can this recipe work if I only have dried lotus slices from the grocery?

      Reply
      • Elaine

        July 12, 2021 at 10:14 pm

        No, Andy. Dried lotus root can't work for this one.

        Reply
    4. AJ

      September 28, 2022 at 5:56 am

      What kind of vinegar do you use for the sauce? I have black vinegar and rice vinegar.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        September 28, 2022 at 6:51 am

        Black vinegar is a better choice.

        Reply
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