Fried Lotus Roots with Salted Egg Sauce

These days salted egg sauce is trendy. It can be one of the key factors driving some individuals insane. Any dessert or dish can practically become magical when salted egg yolk is added.

Many foods can be cooked with salted egg sauce. You name it—fried chicken, fried bitter gourd, fried crab with salted egg, fried prawn with salted egg—the list is endless. Some of the recipes call for store-bought salted egg flavour powder or salted egg sauce in a jar. I like jarred liquid sauce better. However, it's not accessible where I live. Although I tried to order online, delivery was not an option. What a hassle! Finally, I made the choice to prepare my own salted egg sauce.

If you use the liquid sauce, the quicksand-like flavour is retained while the curry leaves' scent and small egg yolk particles may be tasted in your mouth as the thick salted egg yolk sauce hangs over the food.

I decided to cook lotus root with salted egg yolk today. Can you imagine how tasty, salted egg yolk on crisp lotus root would be? A crunch and a savory flavour. Prior to that, only used lotus roots to prepare soup; I later learned that using white vinegar when boiling the lotus roots makes the lotus roots crisp when fried in hot oil. You could do what I did and slice the lotus root thinly. However, I'm going to cut it into thick strips today.

When frying lotus roots, one step needs to be watched carefully. The lotus roots must be fried twice. The secret to extremely crispy lotus roots is double frying. That evaporation process is helped by double frying. Additional water evaporates from the lotus roots by allowing them to cool and rest in between dipping them in the oil. The remaining water evaporates as you put it back in the second time, allowing the lotus roots to crisp and brown before they overcook.

 

INGREDIENTS (salted egg sauce)

8 salted egg yolks

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp castor sugar

1/3 tsp salt

120ml milk

 

METHOD

1. Prepare a pot with water for steaming and bring the water to a boil. Steam it for 10 minutes at medium heat. Turn off the heat, and let it sit on the steamer for another 5 minutes. Removed it from the steamer. Mashed it while it is still warm.

2. In a non-stick pan, add the butter and mashed salted egg yolks, cook, and constantly stir over low heat for 2-3 minutes until egg yolk mixtures are well incorporated and turned to paste form.

3. Add the sugar, salt, and milk into the pan, increase the heat to medium-high heat, and continue stirring it until it becomes a liquid rough paste.

4. Blend the egg yolk paste with the hand mixer until it becomes a smooth mixture.

NOTE: The salted egg sauce can last for 1 week in the refrigerator and 1-2 months in the freezer.

 

INGREDIENTS

500g lotus root

500ml water

4 tbsp white vinegar

Some potato starch for coating

Some cooking oil for frying

25g butter

5 cloves minced garlic

5 bird eye chillies, chopped

2 stems of curry leaves

3 salted egg yolks, mashed

2 tbsp homemade salted egg sauce

1 tsp sugar

 

METHODS

1. Peeled and cut the lotus into thick strips.

2. Boil water with white vinegar, then blanch the lotus root strips for 5 minutes, drain, and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Coat the lotus root with potato starch piece by piece.  Shake off the excess flour.

3. Place the oil into a sizable saucepan or frying pan with a deep bottom, spreading it out to a depth of 3 inches. Oil should be heated to a temperature of 190 degrees Celsius on a medium heat setting on the stove. Pop a popcorn kernel in the oil to check the temperature. If the kernel pops, the oil is ready to use.

4. Carefully add the coated lotus roots to the heated oil. To prevent the pan from being overcrowded, keep the lotus roots equally spaced out. They should be fried in heated oil to firm up for 15 to 20 seconds while being carefully stirred to prevent sticking. Fry them in hot oil for 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Add butter to a heated wok over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic, chilies, and curry leaves, and stir until the mixture is fragrant and the curry leaves are beginning to become slightly crispy. Add the salted sauce, salted egg yolk crumbs, and sugar, and stir until the butter and salted egg are completely incorporated. Add the fried lotus root strips to the egg yolk mixture and stir over LOW HEAT until all the lotus root strips are thoroughly coated.

 

Hope you find this guide useful and enjoy these fried lotus roots with salted egg sauce to the fullest. Happy cooking!!