Honey Chilli Lotus Stems
Ingredients:
- Lotus Stems, washed & peeled, cut into 1/8 inch thin slices, 300 gms
- Cornflour/ Corn Starch, to dust, 1-2 tbsp
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Oil, for deep frying
- Spring Onions and/or Roasted Sesame seeds, to garnish
For the sauce:
(specifying measurements to give an idea of proportion, adjust to taste and/or qty needed accordingly)- Garlic, 3 cloves, finely chopped,
- Honey,1 tbsp
- Tomato Ketchup, 3 tbsp
- Dark Soy Sauce, 1 tsp
- Vinegar. 1 tsp
- Dried Red Chillies, roughly chopped into 3-4 pieces each, 2-3 (remove seeds if you want)
- Oil, 1 tbsp
Instructions:
Heat sufficient oil in a kadhai/wok/pan to deep fry. Dust the lotus stem slices with cornflour, salt and pepper. Deep-fry in hot oil in batches till golden and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok/pan over a high heat. Add the red chillies and chopped garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant, lower the heat. Add honey, ketchup and soy and let the sauces cook for few seconds. Add the fried lotus stem to the sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle vinegar, mix and switch off the heat. Garnish with spring onions and/or roasted sesame seeds. Serve piping hot!
Notes:
- ALWAYS…and I can’t insist enough…ALWAYS fry double the quantity of what you think you would need for the final dish. These things are magical (and super addictive)…they magically start disappearing right after deep frying!
- If knife skills are an issue- slice them a little thicker- closer to ¼ inch thick and blanch in hot water for a 3-4 minutes, strain, pat dry and then dust with cornflour before deep frying.
- They discolour after chopping very quickly. Chop as close to frying time as possible. You can also chop them and soak them in cold water and vinegar solution to avoid the discolouration. Pat dry thoroughly before dusting with cornflour.
