My Light-Luxury Cooking – Spicy Diced Lotus Root
Spicy diced lotus root is a very simple dish to go with rice. Compared with sliced lotus root or shredded potatoes, it doesn’t really test your knife skills, and it’s not very demanding in terms of heat control either, so it’s great for beginners. And with just slight tweaks, you get totally different flavors: add more Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies and it becomes numbing-spicy diced lotus root; add more sugar and vinegar and it turns into a hot-and-sour version… You can also adjust how soft or crunchy you want it. If you like it softer, you can blanch the lotus root briefly before stir-frying. If you prefer it crisp, just stir-fry directly until it’s just cooked through, then it’s ready to serve. I like it when the inside stays crisp, while the surface is coated with aromatic, slightly charred seasonings. For that, you need to fry the seasonings until fragrant first, and stir-fry over high heat, but be careful not to actually burn the spices. Having a good nonstick wok makes cooking so much easier. Ordinary iron woks look a bit bulky and their dark color isn’t very attractive. This light-luxury Joyoung wok has an off‑white exterior paired with beechwood handles in natural wood color. The color scheme is clean and elegant, and it’s not only good‑looking but also has excellent nonstick performance. Lotus root is fairly high in starch, but when I stir‑fried the diced lotus root with the seasonings, there was no sign of sticking at all, and tossing was very smooth. The most special thing about this wok is how light it is—35% lighter than woks of the same diameter. Whether you’re tossing the food or doing single‑handed pouring at the end, it’s very easy for women to handle. No more struggling to lift a big heavy iron wok with both hands~ And good news: on January 15, this new light‑luxury nonstick Joyoung wok will make its debut in the Xiachufang Market～ The special launch price is a real bargain. Click the link to buy: https://m.xiachufang.com/goods/76190/ Here’s an update on fan benefits, also part of the launch promotion: if you note “My Light‑Luxury Cooking” when purchasing via the link below, you’ll get an extra 4‑piece Western‑style cutlery set as a free gift～ Click: [The must‑buy treasure even if I have to max out my card (Joyoung nonstick wok, suitable for gas stoves, smokeless, compatible with induction cookers, for home stir‑frying, light‑luxury line). Come split a red packet with me] http://www.dwntme.com/h.ZZKjwgf Click the link and then choose to open it in your browser; or copy this message ￥rkfh0l2WE87￥ and open 👉Taobao👈
Ingredients
Steps
Prepare all the ingredients. Slice the garlic and cut the ginger into thin strips.
Wash and peel the lotus root, cut it into small dice, then rinse twice with clean water to remove excess starch. Drain well.
Add oil to the wok. When the oil is about 70% hot, add the ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried red chilies, and stir-fry until fragrant.
Add the Pixian chili bean paste and fermented black beans, and stir-fry the seasonings until cooked through and aromatic.
Add the well-drained diced lotus root and stir-fry quickly over high heat until evenly coated.
Make sure every piece of lotus root is evenly coated with the seasonings—only then will it taste really good. You can flip the wok slightly here to improve stir-frying efficiency. This Joyoung wok is very light, and even someone like me with weak wrists can flip it one-handed!
Stir-fry for about 3 minutes, until all the lotus root pieces are just cooked through. Season to taste with sugar and light soy sauce. If you like it spicy, add a little chili oil. If you don’t handle spice well, skip the chili and add a small spoon of white vinegar instead for hot-and-sour diced lotus root.
Serve and enjoy while it’s hot~