We made this flavorful lotus root recipe at one of our With Love & Masalas book events this summer. And while it’s a lesser-known dish in the US, it was such a hit that guests asked for the recipe!
Lotus root is the edible stem of the beautiful lotus flower plant! In dishes, you’d recognize it by the unique, lace-like patterns that appear when it’s sliced horizontally, making it as attractive a dish to look at as it can be to eat!
Raw lotus root is starchy and crunchy, and doesn’t have much flavor, like a white potato or water chestnut. But because it’s porous, it’s a wonderful ingredient for absorbing flavors and transforming into variously crispy or meaty textures.
That’s why my Sindhi community loves eating lotus root in so many different ways: as a raw vegetable with a flavorful sauce, thinly sliced and fried into chips, stewed and stuffed into pakoras, or cooked down into meat or vegetable curries.
In this dish, we slightly fry sliced lotus root that has been boiled just until al dente. Then, we smother it in a thick, flavorful, yogurt-based sauce. Because the lotus root takes on a somewhat meaty texture in this preparation, the recipe can stand alone as a vegetarian main, served with rice, roti, or another kind of bread. But it also pairs wonderfully with dal or as a side dish for meat or vegetable curries.
This dish works best served immediately: if you need to reheat it before serving, add a bit of water to thin the sauce, as it will have thickened once cool.
How do you buy lotus root? Lotus root is available fresh or frozen (in slices) at Indian stores. I personally buy it at Asian markets, as they often have thicker stems that have been cleaned really well. You can tell a stem is fresh if the outside is hard—if you can look through the holes in the stem, make sure they aren’t filled with dirt or aren’t rotting inside.
Bhugal Beeh Masala (Sindhi Lotus Root)
Course: Main dish or side, vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Equipment: Medium-sized heavy-bottomed pan, or kadai (round-bottomed pan)
Masalas: Kashmiri Masala, Garam Masala, Chaat Masala
Other necessary spices: Kashmiri chili powder, ground coriander, ground turmeric, ground mango powder, whole cumin seeds, fresh curry leaves
Serve with: rice, roti, or parathas
Barkha’s heat level: 3 (out of 5, with 5 being only moderately spicy)
Ingredients
300g (10-11oz) lotus root
½ plain full-fat yogurt
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground mango
3 Tbsp neutral oil
½ tsp whole jeera (cumin seeds)
1 Tbsp ginger paste
1 Tbsp garlic paste
½ tsp green chili paste
15 fresh curry leaves
½ cup chopped cilantro (leaves)
Method
Set a medium pot filled with salted water over high heat.
Clean the lotus root to remove any soil, then peel and cut into 1-inch pieces.
Add lotus to water and boil until tender—about 8-10 minutes. (Don’t overcook, or it will fall apart in the final dish.) Remove from the pan and strain out the water.
In a small bowl, make a marinade by stirring together the Kashmiri Masala, Kashmiri chili powder, ground coriander, ground turmeric, and ground mango. Set aside.
Set a pan on medium heat. Add the oil and heat to a frying temperature (350°-375°F). Quickly fry 5 of the curry leaves until crisp, and remove to a paper towel-covered plate.
Reduce the heat to low. Stir the ginger, garlic, and green chili pastes into the oil and cook until the pastes are cooked and light in color—about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the jeera and remaining curry leaves. Then add the drained lotus root and fry until a light golden color—about 5-7 minutes.
Add the yogurt marinade and continue to cook, stirring continually so the yogurt does not separate, until the sauce thickens and coats the lotus root—about 10-15 minutes. (Note that the dish may look dry for a bit until the yogurt releases some liquid. Do not add water, as that will thin the final dish.)
Taste for salt and then adjust to taste. Stir in the Garam Masala, cover, and let sit for about 2 minutes.
Plate, and finish with chopped cilantro leaves, the remaining fried curry leaves, and a sprinkling of Chaat Masala.