Sprinkled with salt and pepper, these lotus root chips are crispy and delicious. It’s an Asian inspired snack that’s both healthy and easy to make.
Last week, my best friend and I went to a dumpling restaurant because we’re both obsessed with Shanghai dumplings, the ones with the soup in the center. While I was browsing through the menu, I noticed that they offered lotus root chips as an appetizer. I didn’t order them, but all of a sudden, I had this craving for them. I know. Odd, right? How can you crave something you’ve never had before? But I did.
So after figuring out how I could make these lotus root chips crispy, a recipe formed and ta da. We now have lotus root chips.
Have you ever had lotus roots before? I actually haven’t seen them anywhere other than at an Asian supermarket or restaurant. They look exactly how you probably think they look, like a root. With lots of holes in the middle. Lotus roots are crunchy in general. When they’re sliced and cooked in soup, there’s a crunch with every bite. Filled with lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, the lotus root is very healthy. Even better? It’s low in calories and fat content. Doesn’t that sound perfect? It certainly does to me. That means another guilt free snack. Yay!
If you’re not sure whether you’ll like lotus root, buy a small one. They come in many different sizes. Make them into chips by following my recipe and try it to see if you like it. It takes about 20-30 minutes for you to get crispy chips. Worth a try, isn’t it? Especially for a guilt free snack? Did I mention they’re gluten-free and vegan too?
First, preheat the oven to 350oF. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray.
While the oven is heating, peel the skin from the lotus root, and cut them into thin even slices. You want the slices to be as even as possible. Otherwise, the chips will be ready at different times.
Place the lotus root slices into a Ziploc bag or a plastic bag. Add in cornstarch and toss until the lotus roots are evenly coated.
Place the lotus root slices onto the baking sheet in a single layer. Don’t place them on top of each other. Otherwise, the chips will be less crispy.
Drizzle olive oil over the lotus root slices as evenly as possible. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the slices.
Allow the lotus roots to bake for about 8-10 minutes before flipping the lotus roots over. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the chips turn a golden brown. If your chips were cut unevenly, they will be ready at different times so make sure to remove the ones that are ready first to prevent them from burning.
Remove the lotus root chips from the oven and allow it to cool for several minutes. If the lotus root chips are a little soft, don’t worry. Once they cool, they will become crispier.
Once the lotus root chips have cooled, serve them in a bowl or a plate. It’s important to eat them the same day. If not, they will lose their crispiness. Enjoy!
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I would love to try lotus roots, but I will never find them in my country 😀 Maybe someday I will. Have a great day!
Marianne
Would love to try some of those awesome chips
In South India, the lotus root chips are prepared in a different traditional way. It is boiled by adding salt, red chilly powder, turmeric and tamarind juice. Once it is set in, the water is drained out and it is sun dried for 3 days. Then the chips are fried in oil.
sounds yum, never tried this before!
How unique! Very interesting and fun to try.
thank you! Always wanted to cook lotus somehow 🙂
I studied Traditional Chinese Medicine and used lotus root in my extracts (blood dissipation, tissue regeneration) but it never occurred to me to eat it, especially as a chip! I don’t use salt but pepper (and maybe a bit of garlic) will be perfect. Thanks so much for posting!
I hope you’ll like it! Generally, we use lotus roots in soup. =)
For those of you who want it salty you should soak it in salt water (up to taste) for an hour or over night before frying. I am going to try soaking it in sugar water one day.