Lotus root chips

Lotus roots? Neverheardathem.

That was me two years ago.

Until my mom, my husband and I were in Mumbai, and chose to eat lunch at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel during a sightseeing tour . We chose a restaurant that had upscale, Indian cuisine and I saw a lotus root curry on the menu. I ordered it and was amazed.

Aside from the great flavor, the lotus roots were beautiful – their delicate designs looked like snowflakes – and they had a great crunch to them that reminded me of a water chestnut.

Here in Phoenix, we’ve found bags of frozen lotus at the Indian grocery store. But on a trip to Lee Lee’s, a huge Asian grocery store near our apartment, I saw the real thing in the produce section.

Inside of a raw lotus root

They’re ugly! Huge bulbous tubes interconnected to each other, slightly slimy… but I gave it a shot. 

Some Internet research unveiled a few different recipes for cooking them, as well as some information about the nutritional content of these things. Apparently, they are very high in fiber and vitamin C, low in sugars, and fat free.

 

I used a knife to scrape off the tough outer peel, then sliced them into 1/8 inch pieces and made lotus chips out of them. Then:

Soak them in water with several tbsp. of lemon juice, to keep them from discoloring.

Then, boil them in salted water for about 5 minutes. Take out of the water and pat them dry.

Now, on a baking sheet lined with tin foil, mix up the following:

* 4-6 Tbsp. oil

* 2 Tbsp. chili powder

* 2 Tbsp. anise

* 2 Tbsp. ground cumin

* 2 Tbsp. garam masala

* 1 tsp. nutmeg

The Oil and Spice mixture

Mix it up and add the lotus pieces, coating them and flipping them over. Sprinkle with salt.

Now, bake it in a oven at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, flipping them over halfway in between.

Lotus root slices