STEP 1/9
Peel the lotus root with a filler or knife, wash it clean, and cut it to the right thickness. About 5 to 6mm is fine. Immediately soak the cut lotus root in water with a few drops of vinegar. It's to prevent browning. When you finish cutting lotus roots, rinse the lotus roots in vinegar water 2-3 times in clean water.
STEP 2/9
Then put lotus root in boiling water and blanch it slightly for 2 to 3 minutes. The reason for blanching is to remove the astringent taste of lotus root and cook it slightly. Lotus roots don't cook as well as you think.
STEP 3/9
Rinse the blanched lotus root in cold water and place it on a sieve.
STEP 4/9
In the meantime, put 3 cups of cold water in a pot to be boiled and put kelp to remove the kelp when the water boils. Alternatively, you can put kelp in cold water and leave it for 30 minutes to an hour to use the bottled water. I boiled it and drained it again. If you're too lazy, just use plain water. But the freshwater tastes better.
STEP 5/9
Put soy sauce, brown sugar, and starch syrup 4T into the stocked water and let it boil. Brown sugar was used for color. I left the remaining 2T of starch syrup for later.
STEP 6/9
When the sauce boils, add lotus root and mix well. Simmer over high heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn it over once or twice in the middle so that the color is evenly absorbed.
STEP 7/9
If you boil it down for 10 to 15 minutes, the sauce will boil down in half. At this time, lower the heat to medium to low heat, boil it down for 20 to 30 minutes, and toss it once or twice so that the color is evenly soaked. When the sauce boils down to 1/3 of the water, add the remaining 2T of starch syrup and toss well.
STEP 8/9
And when the sauce becomes small on the floor, put it back in high heat and boil it down for a while, then mix it with sesame oil and sesame seeds, then turn off the heat and finish. Don't boil it down too close because there should be some sauce left on the bottom of the pot.
STEP 9/9
Finally, the chewy steamed lotus root is completed. I think there are a lot of people who have difficulty with braised lotus roots, so I wrote it in detail, so I hope it helps a little