Stir Fried Lotus Root

Don't you find listening, or even worse watching the news so depressing, the horrifying earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the fighting in the Middle East and Africa.  It makes me feel blessed to be living somewhere quiet and peaceful here in a sleepy little town in Kelantan, Malaysia. We have to be grateful for the things we have and cherish what we have.

Now back to something to cheer us up,  food!!.
Have you ever had lotus root. Its so delicious!!. I was quite surprised. I was expecting a strong woody taste. Its a very clean sweet crunchy texture. I have seen Kylie Kwong make a very simple stir fry using just lotus root and chillies, so decided to make a stir fry but using my usual stir fry ingredients
I made this stir fry using lotus root and had to keep myself out of the kitchen because I kept sneaking in and picking bits from the wok to munch on.

Stir Stir-fried lotus root  adapted from Kylie Kwong's  Caramalised Lotus Root recipe

For  2-3 servings

1 nice piece of lotus root, the one I bought was about 12 inches .
A big handful of mangetout peas ( stringed and cut in half)
1 mild red chilli ( finely sliced)
2 spring onions, cut into small pieces
6 dried chinese mushrooms ( soaked in hot water, 10 mins, remove the woody end  and then slice )
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 inch piece ginger finely chopped or even julienned if you do mind munching a little ginger.
A few drops of dark soy sauce
A good splash of light soy sauce
Sesame oil, about 1/2 tsp, I just added straight from the bottle, a couple of shakes from it.
Oil
Salt to taste

 Preparing lotus root : Peel with a vegetable peeler, remove any black parts if any, cut into thin slices, and set aside in water with a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice.

1. Heat a wok or frying pan till fairly hot, over high heat. Make sure you have prepared everything and is ready nearby before you start. Add about 2 tbsp oil and add garlic and ginger and stir fry till they release their aroma. Don't let the garlic burn.

2. Add your mushrooms, and stir fry for 1 minute. Throw in your lotus root slices and stir fry about 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce,  and a little water, about 2 tablespoons and stir fry till well mixed.

3. Finally, add the mangetout peas, spring onions and chillies, stir fry for about 1 minute, taste add salt if necessary. Switch off and serve as soon as you can with some rice.

Hope you have a nice weekend, and are safe and happy wherever you may be :) !