Serving lotus root 莲藕 (Lián'ǒu) dishes during CNY is highly auspicious as it invokes the greeting 好运连连 (Hǎo yùn liánlián) or continuous good luck for the new year. Our Deep Fried Lotus Root Cake 香炸莲藕肉饼 recipe, made by veteran home cook Mdm Cheng Geck Chau, is both auspicious and delicious as we tap into our Chinese heritage and Singaporean love for mala Chinese New Year (CNY) dishes too!
Imagine the crisp and refreshing crunch of lotus root stuffed with savoury pork filling and the bite of spicy, mouth-numbing Sichuan mala on your tongue. This CNY recipe can easily become a new essential dish that your friends and family want to have every year!
It is certainly better to have deep-fried foods made at home as you will know what ingredients are used in your dishes and can adjust them to suit your family.
For this deep-fried lotus cake recipe, we used KNIFE Premium Cooking Oil as it has a high smoking point, is trans-fat free, cholesterol free, and rich in Vitamin E! KNIFE 100% Groundnut Oil is also a great oil for this dish if you wish to add a hint of peanut aroma to it. Additionally, our recipe calls for double frying which helps to purge out any extra oil to give the lotus root cake that irresistible non-greasy crunch.
We have also dusted the deep-fried lotus cakes with Sichuan Mala Powder for a spicy kick. However, it is an optional ingredient that you can choose to use or not depending on your family’s tastes. If you are a mala fan, you can use the same mala powder in our Mala Bak Kwa recipe here too!
The cost of this deep-fried lotus cake recipe is approximately SGD $23.60 as of December 2022. As it serves 6 pax, this dish is very affordable for its restaurant-quality taste and presentation. You can also reuse the oil up to 3 times for other deep-fried dishes to make your ingredients more cost-effective!
| Knife Premium Cooking Oil, 1L | $4.30 |
| Lotus Root, 600g | $9.50 |
| Minced pork, 340g | $5.80 |
| Chinese cooking wine, Knife Classic Light Soy Sauce, Knife Pure Sesame Oil, cornstarch, white pepper, scallion, five-spiced powder, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, Mala powder | $4 (round-up) |
- 600 g fresh lotus roots look for one with even shape. Washed and peeled.
- 1 litre Knife Blended Oil for deep frying
- 340 g minced pork
- 1 tbsp chinese cooking wine
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 60 ml water
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 scallion chopped finely
- 1/4 tsp five spice powder
- 1 tbsp Knife Blended Oil
- 70 g all-purpose flour
- 60 g cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp five spice powder
- 160 ml water
- Sichuan Mala Powder
- lettuce
- Place the meat filling together in a bowl. Use a chopstick, mix in a single direction for 5 mins till it is pasty and evenly mixed. Set aside.
- Slice the lotus root into 0.5cm but do not cut all the way through. Follow the video for the slicing demonstration.
- Fill the lotus root with meat. Press it tightly till the meat fills the holes between the lotus root.
- Mix the batter ingredients in a bowl evenly. #Tip: Adding the oil will give it a crispier crunch on the batter.
- Pour the oil until it reaches 1/3 of the wok.
- Dip the lotus root into the batter and deep fry it till golden brown. Once it is added into the oil, do not flip it until the side in the oil is golden brown. #Tip: Avoid overcrowding the wok with the lotus root to prevent them from sticking together.
- Once all the lotus roots are fried, remove them from the wok. Increase the temperature of the oil, and transfer the lotus root back into the wok to double-fry it. This action will make it crispier!
- Plate the lotus roots and sprinkle some Sichuan mala powder over them. Garnish with lettuce and serve.
Facebook Comments