Renkon!!

What is renkon, you ask? Well, it's typically called lotus root in English. It's the root of a water lily and is brown-skinned with a hollow, chambered inside (see a picture from the Asia Food Glossary; see description from Wikipedia.com). It's used in Japanese cooking frequently and I've grown up eating it a lot of it.

My mom would usually stir-fry it with sugar, soy sauce and mirin combination. I wanted to try something different, so I googled some recipes in English and Japanese. Of course, I didn't come across many in English. I had a few Japanese recipes lined up before this recipe from eGullet.org caught my eye.

This recipe wasn't clear and didn't specify some things. First of all, I didn't know how long to boil the renkon. I just boiled the renkon for about 6 or 7 minutes. Also, I wasn't sure I did the batter exactly right since there was no exact amount specified for water. I think I made the batter too thinned out with water.

Nonetheless, I have to say that this dish turned out pretty well. The renkon was crunchy and and the meat filling was juicy. I didn't bother to make a sauce and just served with lemon wedges.

I also made some spinach salad with crispy bacon pieces and chickpeas. For the dressing, I made the honey mustard recipe from Joy of Cooking. I love the combination of spinach, crunchy bacon and honey-mustard dressing. The chickpeas also add another layer of texture and flavor.

I also took some thin pieces of renkon and fried them to make renkon chips. They're delicious with a sprinkle of salt. I thought it would be a nice garnish to my salad. I love the interesting pattern of the cross-section of a renkon. It tastes and looks great. Tonight's dinner was crunchy and delicious!