Spicy Stir-Fried Lotus Root Cubes with Lao Gan Ma
Summer is here, and in the heat I really don’t feel like eating… So I decided to make something really “flavor-packed,” even though I usually eat pretty light. This dish combines salty, spicy, sweet, and sour all in one, making it very appetizing in summer. Plus, with the magic flavor booster for stir-fries—Lao Gan Ma—it smells absolutely amazing. Anyway… I made this at noon, and now after finishing Pizza Hut for dinner, I’m still drooling just thinking about this dish from lunchtime, ahem.
Ingredients
Steps
Wash the lotus root and cut it into cubes of about 2 cm; slice the garlic and ginger.
Soak the lotus root cubes in clean water for about 10 minutes; this way they’ll stay nice and crisp when stir-fried.
Blanch the soaked lotus root cubes in boiling water briefly. Don’t blanch too long, or they won’t be crisp anymore.
Remove after blanching and set aside. At this point, the fresh aroma of lotus root will fill the kitchen.
Heat the wok and add oil (I used olive oil, which is supposed to be healthier, and it doesn’t have any odd taste). Add the garlic slices and stir-fry until fragrant.
Then… since I don’t like eating garlic but love the aroma, I scoop the garlic out and discard it once it has flavored the oil.
Add Lao Gan Ma and the ginger slices, and stir-fry until fragrant.
Add the lotus root cubes and stir-fry evenly.
Add sugar, salt, and a little vinegar. I like a sweet-and-spicy flavor, so I add a bit more sugar; the vinegar is just a splash to enhance the flavor—the sourness is very light; as for salt, it’s essential, otherwise no matter how many other seasonings you add, the dish won’t taste good. Stir-fry until everything is well mixed.
Dish it up and serve with a bowl of white rice with corn kernels. A healthy, appetizing summer dish that won’t make you gain weight~