For a quick and easy side dish, this delicious stir-fried lotus root recipe will surprise your guests with an unassuming punchy hot and sour flavour that will keep them coming back for more.
Slice garlic cloves and ginger into thin matchsticks.
Slice chilli into thin rounds.
Wash and roughly chop coriander.
Place black vinegar, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, brown sugar and sesame oil in a small mixing bowl. Mix well until brown sugar has dissolved.
In a large fry pan or wok, add ½ oil and heat over high heat. Once hot, add sliced ginger, garlic and chilli to the fry pan and do a quick stir fry. Once garlic and ginger start to brown, remove the mix from the fry pan and set aside for later.
Add remaining oil to the fry pan and then sliced lotus roots. Stir fry lotus roots for about 1-2 minutes and then flip over to fry the other side to golden brown as well.
Add black vinegar sauce mixture to the fry pan.
Keep moving the lotus roots, so the sauce fully covers them.
Once liquid is all absorbed, add stir fried ginger, garlic and chilli back into the fry pan.
Toss lotus roots together with stir fried ginger, garlic and chilli for about 1 minute or so.
Remove and place on a serving plate.
Scatter chopped coriander and serve.
Notes
You can substitute frozen with fresh lotus roots if available. Cut lotus roots into 0.5 - 1 cm thick slices. Do not use dried lotus roots in this recipe.
Substitute black vinegar with white rice vinegar instead and add a little kecap manis to balance the caramel flavours. You can also try balsamic vinegar, but try not to use one that is sweeter or syrupy.
Japanese mirin is a good option if you don’t have Shaoxing wine or try dry sherry.
You can adjust the heat level by changing the amount of chilli in the recipe according to taste.