Hi everyone! It’s been quite a week and it’s only Wednesday! My husband’s twin cousins from France came to Houston to visit 2 weeks ago, this is their last week here so they’ve decided to stay with us for a couple of nights. We were very excited to host the young ladies, my little girl was jumping off the walls to see her French aunties and I can tell they felt the same way. Instead of braving the heat and make everyone meet up at a restaurant again, hubby and I thought maybe we can cook instead. This is very exciting for me because even though he’s never said it, but my husband was never comfortable enough with the idea of serving our guests home cooking. This is of course due to my lack of interests, also the lack of cooking abilities when I was a young bride. So this time when I suggested we can just invite his brothers and cousins for a meal at home, he was enthusiastic about it, and I started to visualize which recipes to cook right away.
I think everyone here knows who Nami (Just One Cookbook) is by now, her fabulous recipes have been a stable in my home, and even though I’ve not tried cooking her Fried Lotus Root with Pork before this week, I knew I can not go wrong with this choice! Now my little girl is a very supportive eater, but she’s not a fan of lotus roots, probably due to their weird looks also the texture. It was absolutely awesome when she took a bite of the finished “lotus burgers” and let out “Oh IT’S INCREDIBLE! It tastes like fries!” I am also very happy to report all the house guests seemed to enjoy the home cooked meal, which made me feel very relieved and glad I started this blog 2 years ago. I never thought posting about recipes I tried will get me to truly enjoy cooking, I also never thought I would meet all these Foodie friends from all around the world, which makes this experience that much cooler!
Here is a snap shot of the 4 dishes I cooked:
(Vietnamese Lemon Chicken | Black Bean Tofu | Fried Lotus Root with Pork | Stir Fried Spinach with Chinese Sausage)
OK, Here is the recipe from Just One Cookbook, I didn’t do any modification except to forgo the shiitake mushrooms, hope you all enjoy!
Seasonings
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. cooking sake
1 tsp. miso
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
1 pkg (3 pieces) boiled lotus root (“Rekon no Mizuni”), cut into thin slices
½ lb ground pork
½ cup corn starch
Sauce
1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cooking sake
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Mirin
½ Tbsp. corn starch
1 Tbsp. water
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for Seasonings.
2. Cut green onions, shiitake mushrooms, and Lotus root.
3. Add the meat, green onion, shiitake mushroom in the Seasoning bowl. Mix well with hands until the mixture gets sticky and set aside.
4. On a slice of lotus root, place a teaspoon of the filling and spread. Put another slice of lotus root on top and press down to make a sandwich.
5. In a large non-stick frying pan, heat ¼ inch of oil on medium-high heat.
6. Dredge the lotus root in the corn starch and remove excess.
7. When the oil is hot, gently place lotus root in the pan. Cook both sides until nicely browned. When the meat is cooked throughly, remove onto a paper towel to drain oil.
8. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, add all the ingredients for Sauce and cook on medium low heat. In a small bowl, combine corn starch and water and mix well. When the Sauce is simmering, add corn starch mixture (make sure it’s completely mixed) in the pan and mix quickly and thoroughly. Turn off the heat and set aside until you are done with deep frying.
9. Reheat the sauce just before you serve. Pour the sauce over the lotus root and serve immediately.
Weeknite Meals 
Cindy, I’m so happy that your daughter loved this dish! Kids love crunchy dish and my kids love it too. They even deconstruct the “burger” so I have to tell them to stop and eat it as a whole. I still get nervous to invite people over and when I get nervous things happen (such as burning food etc). I think you did such a great job pulling off 4 dishes!!!!!
Thank you so much Nami! I really appreciate all the delicious recipe you share with all of us. Cooking for close family members was not as nerve wracking as I thought it was going to be, since these relatives are very accommodating and willing to try. I did almost burn the Vietnamese egg omelete thing I made on Monday night, though as soon as Jon and I smell the light burning smell, we removed it from the stove. Whew!
You did such a fantastic job, Jeno! Well done and I’m so happy for you! 😀
So glad that Trinity starts to love lotus root! You cooked it exactly just like Nami’s! I love all her recipes too and had already tried few of ’em but I’m trying my best to get ’em post asap (I’m almost fainting just looking at my long Q-ing list of posts to be written on! Gosh!). 😛
Happy cooking and a great week ahead! 😉
Thank you so much Lyn! Cooking for the small party was actually a lot of fun, but what’s the most rewarding is when everyone seemed to enjoy themselves!
Yes, It’s always good when children consume more vegi, Trini has a few favorite types, though lotus roots? Not so much. Now that I know she enjoys this dish, I will cook it more often!
I can’t wait for your postings, was just thinking last night that I have not seen one online for a while, which must mean you have been very busy! Have a great day Lyn!
I love Just One Cookbook and am so happy to discover your blog as well! These look great. Now I just have to find lotus root…!
Welcome Katherine! I am so glad you found my little blog space through Nami’s blog, she’s a fantastic cook and I really enjoy her as Foodie friend!
I checked out your website and “liked” your FB Page, you are so talented! The photography works are breathtaking! Can’t wait to go through the whole site soon! Hope you have a great day!
Jeno, it looks beautiful and so appealing! Lotus root is another thing I have wanted to taste for years (like the green mango, remember? 😉 ). First I saw it on Nami’s blog, now here… I think my lotus root tasting becomes urgent!
Sissi, I love your willingness to try new things! Lotus roots used to be very hard and expensive to come by at Houston, though the last few years things have improved a lot, so I am able to afford cooking them for the family. My first attempt was Lotus Soup, too bad hubby and little girl refused to drink that. This time around with Nami’s recipe, everyone really enjoyed the texture and taste, I hope you do try it soon!
I made fried lotus root with pork (fillet) as well some time ago, and they went so well with each other! But I didn’t have them with a sauce, just roasted them with ground anise and lots of garlic … You variety looks amazing!
Thank you Kath, we really enjoyed the dish. I never thought to make lotus roots this way, since my Mom always made soup or stir fry the lotus roots with a vinegary sauce (which unfortunately is not my favorite). Your version sounds amazing also, care to share the recipe some day?
Thank you, Jeno! I’ve already posted the recipe: http://myfunnylittlelife.com/2011/06/15/a-little-mystery-solved/ (If you can’t get wild garlic, just use regular chives.)
that looks delicious! Ive always been a fan of lotus roots even when young (: my mum just cooks it in soup with red dates, pork and wild yam!
Hello Shu and welcome to my blog! Thank you for the compliment, my family and I really enjoyed this dish, it was not that difficult to prepare either, any way I can get my husband and little girl to eat more vegi is a great recipe in my book! I am going to check out your blog now, love the clean layout and the beautiful photographs!