waterenough to cover the lotus root slices (for the vinegar water)
flourfor coating (as a binding agent)
soy saucefor serving
karashifor serving
1tbspsake(A)
1tspsoy sauce(A)
potato starch(A)
100mLflour(B)
100mLice water(B)
Instructions
Cut the lotus root into 16 slices, about 5mm thick. Soak them in a bowl of vinegar water for 10 minutes to prevent them from discolouring, then drain.Mince the naganegi.Grate the ginger and squeeze the pulp to extract 1/2 teaspoon of juice.
Put the ground pork in a large bowl and add the minced naganegi and ginger juice. Add (A) and mix well. Divide into 8 portions.
Coat one side of each of the lotus root slices with flour. Take a portion of ground pork mix and sandwich in between two slices of lotus root, flour-coated side facing inwards. Press so the meat comes through the holes, but make sure the meat doesn’t squeeze out past the lotus root edges. Repeat for the other 7 portions of pork filling.
Pour vegetable oil (about 3cm deep) into a deep-walled saucepan and heat it to 170-180 degrees (you’ll know it’s hot enough if you drop in a bit of batter and it sizzles). Lightly mix (B) together (don’t overmix!) and coat the lotus root sandwiches in batter. Add them to the saucepan in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan, and deep-fry for 6-7 minutes, flipping halfway.
Set the cooked sandwiches on a paper-lined tray to drain off excess oil. Put on plates and serve with soy sauce and karashi.