Crispy Chilli Lotus Stem is a delicious Indo-Chinese recipe of battered deep fried lotus stem in a garlicky, chilli flavoured sauce.
Lotus Stem is also known as Nadru, Kamal Kakdi, Bhein, Lian Ou in different countries and languages is a popular vegetarian ingredient widely used in Chinese, Indian and Asian sub-continent cuisine. Although named as ‘root’, it is in fact the rhizome, a continuously growing horizontal underwater stem, of the lotus plant. Lotus root comes in connected, cylinder-shaped segments (like giant linked sausages). When cut crosswise, one can see a ‘rotary dial phone’ pattern. Lotus Stem comes in 2 different varieties; one is with 7 holes and the other one has 9 holes. 7-hole lotus root is best for soups or lotus root powder because it is softer whereas the 9-hole lotus root is best for stir-fries, and salad. But the two types can be interchangeable for common home cooking.
Lotus root has a slightly sweet, nutty and earthy taste and offers a crunchy texture to any recipe, making it perfect for stir fry recipes. However, taste isn’t the only reason lotus root is a widely eaten meal across Asia. There are many benefits to eating lotus root; for example, it is high in dietary fibre and so great for digestion and is also rich in carbohydrates to provide a good source of energy. It is also loaded with Vitamins like Vit. C, Vit. B complex, forms and integral part of collagen which maintains strength and rigidity of cells, skin and organs.
My daughter likes the lotus stem and hence it is often on my grocery shopping list. If you like Indo-Chinese flavours then you might also like Chilli Baby Corn, Chilli Water Chestnut, Crispy Chilli Corn, Indo-Chinese Chilli Paneer, Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns, and Chinese Style Crispy Vegetables to name a few.
