Stir-fried lotus root with chilies and Sichuan pepper

The first time I ate lotus root was more than 20 years ago is a small Chinese restaurant in Philadelphia. This delicately flavoured vegetable piqued my curiosity. Over time, we have seen its popularity grow, and the vegetable has appeared on menus in Asian and Indian restaurants, as well as on the shelves of markets.

This is a fantastic recipe that pops with flavour from the tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. These small berries, made famous by the spicy Sichuan cuisine, are neither peppers nor chiles but from a different species of plant. They feel like they numb your tongue, but in reality, they are super-activating the sensors on your tongue so that you taste your food more intensely. More on this amazing ingredient here.

This excellent book on Sichuan cooking is a must-have on every bookshelf. The recipes range from the simple, like this one, to the more complex and involved. This is a book I'm slowly getting into, with lots of unique and fun recipes to try.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 lb cleaned and sliced lotus root

8 dried arbol chiles, cut into 1-inch pieces, and the seeds shaken out

1 tablespoon whole Sichuan peppercorns

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil

Salt to taste

If the lotus root is raw or lightly poached, boil it in water with a touch of salt for about 10-12 minutes. It should taste cooked but still retain a slight crunch. Taste a small piece to see if it is cooked.

Start heating the oil in a wok or shallow pan. Add the chillies and Sichuan peppercorns to the warm oil, and they will start sizzling. When they begin to darken, do not burn them; add the lotus root and salt and stir-fry. When the lotus root is well coated in the oil and piping hot, remove it. Drizzle with the sesame oil and serve immediately.