During our first visit to Kyushu, Japan, we tried Karashi Renkon, a mustard filled lotus root, which is a specialty of Kumamoto. We also tried lotus root chips which I really liked and regretted that we didn’t buy more to bring home. So when I saw lotus roots on sale at the Asian grocery market, I decided to recreate the chips at home. In this recipe, I use simply seasoned the lotus root chips with salt and pepper. However, I’m sure they’ll taste great with other spices and seasonings so experiment with your own flavours!
How to Make Baked Lotus Root Chips
It’s quite easy to make baked lotus root chips and you only need 4 ingredients:
- fresh lotus roots
- olive oil
- sea salt
- pepper
To prepare the lotus root, make sure to clean it thoroughly. I usually run it under water and scrub the outside with a brush to get rid of any dirt. Peel the skin and cut off the ends. Then run water down the holes of the lotus root to flush out any dirt.
Once the lotus root is clean, slice it thinly then toss it with some olive oil. Lay the slices in a single layer, season with salt and pepper then bake till they are crispy.
Tips for Making Baked Lotus Root Chips
- Use a mandoline slicer to get even slices.
- Keep the lotus root slices in a bowl of water to keep it from turning brown. Drain and pat each slice dry when you are ready to bake.
- Be very gentle when tossing the lotus root with the olive oil as they can break easily if you slice them very thin.
- Make sure to remove as much moisture from the lotus root slices before tossing them with the olive oil.
- Keep baked chips in an airtight container or zip-lock bag with as much air squeezed out as possible.
Baked Lotus Root Chips Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 lotus root
- olive oil (vegetable oil works too)
- sea salt (to taste)
- fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350F. Lined parchment paper onto the baking sheets.
- Wash the lotus root and cut off the ends. Check to make sure the inside is clean as well. You don't have to peel the lotus root but I peeled mine in the photo shown. Using a mandoline or a knife, slice the lotus root into even thin slices and add them to a big bowl filled with cold water to keep it from browning.
- When you've finished slicing the lotus root, drain them and pat each slice dry with a paper towel. Lay each lotus root slice in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets, lightly brush the top with some olive oil then sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- Place baking sheets into the preheated oven and bake for about 10 – 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them at around the 10 minutes mark. Depending on how thick your slices are, it may take between 15-30 minutes for the lotus root to brown.
- As soon as the slices turn brown you can remove them from the oven. They will crisp up a bit more as they coos. Taste one and add more salt/pepper as needed while it's hot. Serve immediately or let cool and keep in a zip-lock bag with the air pressed out for up to 2 days.
3 comments
The South Indian way of making lotus roots chips is traditional. The slices are boiled in water by adding turmeric, salt, red chilly powder and tamarind juice. After it is cooked, the water is drained out and it is dried in the sun for two or three days. Then it is fried in coconut oil.
Wow, that sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing Ananth. 🙂