Last Updated on October 22, 2023 by Simon Fan
This beloved vegetable dish is so named because of its main ingredient, lotus roots, which are the rhizomes of the lotus plant and a very popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine. Here, they’re joined by snow peas, wood ear mushrooms, and carrots; together, they create a dish that has attractive colors and textures and tastes as refreshing as the autumn breeze.
Whenever I think of lotus ponds, I sense beauty, peace, and rejuvenation. And I have the same experience every time I savor this dish.
There is a more poetic name for this dish: Moonlight over the lotus pound (荷塘月色). You would want to call it by that name if you serve it for a special occasion rather than a weekday dinner.
To ensure each ingredient in the dish achieve its perfect texture, soak the wood ear mushroom until they’re fully rehydrated and crunchy, and blanch the lotus roots and vegetables separately and briefly. Use a quick stir-fry at the end to bring them together—in perfect harmony.
Other ingredients with a crisp texture, such as chestnuts or Chinese yam (shanyao 山药), also work well in this dish. Give them a try.
Check out my other recipes featuring lotus roots here and here.
Lotus pound stir-fry (荷塘小炒)
Serves 2
Ingredients
6 oz (170 g) lotus root segments, preferably slender
1½ oz (45 g) snow peas
1½ oz (45 g) carrots, preferably slender
⅙ oz (5 g) dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in warm water until fully rehydrated and crunchy, about 30 minutes
Sauce
2 tablespoons chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon potato starch or cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced, or 1 scallion white, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions
- Prepare a bowl of water with about 1 tablespoon of white rice vinegar or wine vinegar to make acidulated water.
- Peel the lotus roots, cut crosswise into very thin slices, and immediately soak them in the acidulated water.
- Remove the strings from the peas and cut diagonally into about ½-inch (1.3 cm) pieces. Peel the carrots and cut diagonally into thin slices.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add salt (it should taste like seawater). Blanch the peas until crisp-tender, about 30 seconds, and transfer them to a colander to drain. Do the same, separately, with the carrots (about 30 seconds), wood ear mushrooms (1 minute), and lotus roots (about 45 seconds).
- In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce.
- Place a wok or skillet over high heat until hot, then swirl in the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add all the blanched ingredients and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the well-stirred sauce and toss until slightly thickened, about 15 seconds. Turn off the heat and mix in the sesame oil.
