A simple stir-fry with lotus roots, mushrooms and colorful bell peppers. Healthy and delicious!
Lotus root
Lotus root (yeon-geun, 연근) is the underwater stem of the lotus plant. It’s a commonly used vegetable in Asian countries, including Korea, and highly praised for being rich in fiber and essential nutrients such as Vitamin C and potassium.
My favorite way to eat this crunchy and starchy lotus root is to stir-fry (bokkeum, 볶음) with some other vegetables. Yeongeun jorim, braised lotus roots, is another popular Korean side dish that’s made with lotus.
Enjoy the stir-fry as a side dish or a light meal with a bowl of rice!
Cooking lotus roots
To prepare lotus roots for cooking, peel the skin, slice or cut into bite-size pieces, rinse, and then soak in the vinegar water. This will remove any impurities inside and the slight bitterness of the lotus root and prevent from discoloring. You can also prepare lotus roots by pre-boiling in vinegar water for a couple of minutes if you like it softer.
The stir-fry comes together quickly once you have prepared the vegetables.
Other vegetables
For other vegetables, I like to use a mix of bell peppers and hot chili peppers. I love colorful bell peppers, and am trying to eat more of them because they are also loaded with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. You can use any color bell peppers or hot chili peppers. These vegetables pair really well with the mild tasting lotus roots, adding slightly peppery flavors to the dish, while doubling the health benefits.
Another vegetable I like to add to my stir-fries is mushrooms. I love the earthy flavors of mushrooms! You can use any mushrooms for this dish. They add another dimension to the flavors of the dish and are again highly nutritional!
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Stir-fried lotus root with peppers and mushrooms (Yeon-geun Bokkeum)
Side DishIngredients
- 12 to 14 ounces lotus root
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 4 ounces mushrooms
- 3 to 4 green chili pepper or use green bell pepper
- 2 to 3 plump garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- salt
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce or use more soy sauce for a vegan dish
- 1 tablespoon cooking rice wine
- 1 tablespoon oligo syrup (oligodang, 올리고당), rice syrup (jocheong, 조청), or corn syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cut the tough ends of the lotus root, and peel the skin with a potato peeler.
- Cut the lotus root in half lengthwise and then into bite size pieces. Rinse in water. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar in 3 cups of water, and soak the lotus root for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Cut the peppers and mushrooms into small bite size pieces.
- Heat a large skillet with two tablespoons oil. Add the garlic and lotus root, and lightly sprinkle with salt. Stir fry until the lotus root pieces turn translucent, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the mushrooms, and stir fry until the mushrooms turn soft, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the peppers, and stir fry until the peppers are slightly wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, and corn syrup. Continue to cook, stirring well, until the sauce is almost gone, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle the sesame oil at the end, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds to serve.
