Today we are featuring one of our absolute favorite vegetables: lotus root. I was first introduced to it at age 17, when a friend’s mother (a very sweet lady who only spoke Chinese) served me some slices of pickled lotus root as a snack. Aside from enjoying eating it – like a combination of potato and water chestnut – I was quite taken by its striking pattern of holes. It was almost too pretty to eat. Over the ensuing years, I would automatically buy it any time I chanced upon it – which was never as often as I would have liked.
Fast forward a couple of decades or so, and Chele and I decide to check out a place called Mitsuwa Marketplace. Lotus root, called “renkon” in Japanese, is a staple vegetable in Japan, as common as carrots and broccoli are here in the States – so it should have been no surprise that the largest Japanese market in the area kept plenty in stock.
Chele fell in love with lotus root just as quickly as I first had. Now armed with a reliable source, we began trying out all sorts of recipes for it. One that caught our eye in particular was this one for “Renkon Hasami Yaki” from Sumo Kitchen. We couldn’t get enough of them and wanted to share them with Chele’s husband, but struggled with trying to explain exactly what they were. When we eventually compared them to “mini sliders” served on fried lotus root instead of hamburger buns, his interest finally piqued. We began referring to them as “lotus root sliders” from then on, and the term just sort of stuck. Some might cringe at the idea of using something other than the original Japanese name, but considering that Renkon Hasmai Yaki is a quintessential Japanese bar food – much like mini sliders are in the US – we feel that the term is a fairly appropriate English description.
Our version is heavily based on the original one we found on Sumo Kitchen, but we found we preferred the “sliders” fried on their own, to keep them dried and crispier. We instead make an unagi sauce separately to serve with them. The sauce recipe is this one by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook, which we have also included here for convenience.
These also make fantastic tailgating food when prepared on the grill, which we put to good use earlier this year during our trip to Florida to attend the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. Just set them over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side, or until they are cooked through. Another variation of these are called “Renkon Hasami Age”, which are battered and deep fried. We haven’t tried them that way yet, but we’re sure they are amazing.
Lotus Root “Mini Sliders” (Renkon Hasami Yaki)
Ingredients
Unagi Sauce:
- ¼ cup mirin
- 1 ½ Tbs cooking sake
- 2 ½ Tbs sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce (use certified gluten-free soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free)
Main Recipe:
- 2-3 lotus roots ,medium to large size
- 3 green onions
- 10 leaves shiso
- 1” piece fresh ginger
- 1 lb ground turkey, chicken, or pork
- 1 Tbs sesame seeds
- 1 Tbs cooking sake
- 1 tsp soy sauce (see note above for gluten-free)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- flour (for dusting – see recipe notes for gluten-free suggestions)
Instructions
For the sauce:
- Combine all sauce ingredients except soy sauce in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is combined.
- Stir in soy sauce and continue heating. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
For the Renkon Hasami Yaki:
- Wash and scrub lotus roots under cold water. Trim off dried ends and peel off skins. Slice roots into ¼”-thick slices (the number will vary depending on the size of your lotus roots, but aim for an even number somewhere around 24 to 30 slices). Place into a large bowl of cold water to prevent discoloration (a small amount of vinegar can be added, if you prefer). Set aside.
- Mince green onions and shiso leaves. Place in a large mixing bowl. Peel ginger, and grate finely into the same bowl. Add meat and all other remaining ingredients except flour, and mix with your hands until fully combined (it should be nice and sticky by that point – wear gloves if you aren’t fond of the idea of scrubbing raw meat off your hands afterward).
- Remove lotus root slices from the water. Shake off any excess water and lay out on paper towels to absorb remaining moisture. Blot the top surface dry with another paper towel, and then lightly dust with flour (this will help them stick to the meat filling and hold our little “sandwiches” together).
- Assemble by taking about 2 Tbs of the meat mixture and forming it into a ball. Press between two slices of lotus root (floured sides facing the meat), making sure to force the meat into the holes in the lotus root. Press any excess that escapes from the edges back into the “sandwich” to fill in any gaps, or remove it and add it back to the meat in the bowl if there is simply too much to keep it between the slices. You are aiming to shape your “patties” to be about the same size as your lotus root slices. You don't want to let too much of the meat overhang the edges. Repeat until you have no more pairs of lotus root to use (you will likely have some meat mixture left over. Either turn it into meatballs and cook them alongside the rest of this recipe, or save it for use in another recipe).
- Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the renkon hasami yaki for about 3 minutes per side, or until both sides are golden and meat is fully cooked.
- Serve with the unagi sauce (either drizzled over the top or on the side for dipping), preferably along with some hot sake or cold beer.
Notes
- Lotus Root (also called renkon) is a highly versatile vegetable that is popular in many Asian countries, and is a staple in Japan. They are most easily found in Asian markets, but do occasionally turn up in mainstream grocery stores that deal in “specialty” produce. Like most of our Japanese vegetables, we normally buy ours at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, IL, but have happened across them at Tony’s and Jewel locations in the Chicago suburbs. We have seen bags of frozen, sliced lotus root at both Mitsuwa and Tony’s as well – these would probably be a decent timesaver for this recipe, but we have not tried this ourselves. We have also occasionally seen pre-packaged cleaned, boiled lotus root available, which is convenient but typically loaded with preservatives.
- Shiso (also called Ooba, Ohba, Perilla, and Beefsteak Plant) is an herb that is very popular in Japanese cooking, but is not very well known here in the USA. There are both green and red varieties – both with culinary uses – but the green type is what is most often used as a fresh herb and what most recipes that call for “shiso” are referring to (the red variety is more commonly used to color other foods or used as a dried seasoning). The flavor isn’t easily substituted by anything else we have found – it reminds us a little of a blend of cilantro, cumin, basil, and lime, but even that doesn’t quite capture it. You will most likely need an Asian market in order to source fresh shiso (and likely a dedicated Japanese market at that) – we have never spotted it at any other type of store or even at the farmers’ markets in our area. Fortunately, it is easy to grow and will do well in gardens in most parts of the country (seeds are readily available from specialty and heirloom seed vendors such as Baker’s Creek and Kitazawa Seed Co.). If you can’t find it, this recipe will still be quite good without it.
- This recipe is traditionally made with ground chicken, but we prefer them with turkey due to its heartier texture and flavor. These can also be made with ground pork, and we imagine they would be good with beef or just about any other ground meat you might want to try.
- To make this Gluten-free: As mentioned in the ingredient list, you will need to use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari in both the unagi sauce and in the seasoning for the meat filling. For the flour used to dust the lotus root slices, pick a gluten-free flour that has a bit of a “sticky” property, like cassava/tapioca flour. We’ve used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free All-purpose Flour for this on several occasions, and were very pleased with the result. Another batch using brown rice flour was less satisfactory, as the “sliders” didn’t hold together very well.
