Fried Lotus Root Skewers (れんこん串カツ, Renkon Kushikatsu)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8 short bamboo skewers (kushi)
• •Deep heavy pot or tempura nabe
• •Kitchen thermometer, or a dry bamboo chopstick for checking oil
• •Abura-kiri draining rack, or a wire rack set over a tray
• •Three shallow trays for flour, batter, and panko

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the sauce

   Combine the usutā sōsu, tonkatsu sauce, dashi or water, soy sauce, and sugar in a small pan. Warm it only until the sugar dissolves, then cool it. Kushikatsu sauce should be thinner than tonkatsu sauce, so it slips into the crust instead of sitting heavily on top. Divide it into small cups for serving; at a shop the shared sauce pot comes with nidozuke kinshi, the no double-dipping rule, and at home separate cups keep the same good manners.

   If you have bottled Osaka-style kushikatsu sauce, use it. The mixture here is the sensible home stand-in: thin, dark, and sharp enough to meet the fried coating without hiding the lotus root.
2. 2

   Slice the renkon

   Trim the ends of the lotus root and peel it lightly. Slice it into rounds 8 to 10 mm thick; if the root is wide, cut the rounds into half-moons so they sit neatly on the skewer. Put the slices in the cold water with the rice vinegar for 10 minutes. The brief soak clears surface starch, checks a little astringency, and keeps the flesh pale. Leave it much longer and you start washing away the sweetness you came for.

3. 3

   Dry and skewer

   Drain the renkon and lay the slices on a clean towel. Pat both faces dry, and touch the towel to the holes as well. Water under batter spits in the oil and pushes the coating away, so drying is not tidying, it's technique. Thread one round, or two half-moons, onto each bamboo skewer through the solid rim between the holes. Don't drive the skewer through the center. The holes are the point.

4. 4

   Set the coating

   Put the dusting flour in one shallow tray and the panko in another. In a bowl, whisk the egg with the cold water or dashi and the salt, then stir in the batter flour just until it loosens into a pourable batter. A few small lumps are harmless. Overmix and the flour turns elastic, which gives you a bready shell instead of a light one.

   Use cold liquid because it slows the flour from tightening. This is not tempura, but the same good habit helps keep the coating light.
5. 5

   Bread the skewers

   Dust each renkon skewer lightly with flour and shake off the excess. Dip it into the batter, then hold it over the bowl and tap once or twice so the batter drains from the holes. Press it into the panko, coating the flat faces and rims without packing every opening full of crumbs. Those open holes are why we chose renkon; plug them and it could be any fried vegetable, which would be a small tragedy but still dinner.

6. 6

   Heat the oil

   Pour the oil into a deep heavy pot or tempura nabe to a depth of about 5 cm. Heat it to 170 to 175°C. Without a thermometer, dip in the tip of a dry bamboo chopstick; small steady bubbles should gather around it. Oil that is too cool drinks into the panko, and oil that is too hot browns the outside before the lotus root softens inside.

   Hold this temperature patiently. Frying is not a race, it is a negotiation between crust and center.
7. 7

   Fry in batches

   Lower in 2 or 3 skewers at a time and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until the panko is pale gold and the holes look crisp and lacy. Keep the oil steady between batches. Lift the skewers to an abura-kiri draining rack, or a wire rack set over a tray. A rack lets oil fall away and keeps the underside crisp; paper towels trap moisture under the crust.

8. 8

   Serve at once

   Arrange the skewers with raw cabbage leaves, the sauce cups, and a little karashi if you like its heat. Dip once, or spoon sauce over each skewer just before eating. Don't drown it. The sauce should sharpen the sweet, clean taste of the renkon, not become a hiding place. Serve while the coating still answers under your teeth.

Chef Tips

• •Buy renkon in late autumn through winter if you can. Choose a section that feels heavy, with firm pale flesh and clean holes. Black streaks inside the holes or a sour smell mean it has waited too long, and no sauce will make it young again.
• •Keep the slices at 8 to 10 mm. That small measurement decides the dish: thinner slices lose the soft center, thicker ones make the crust do all the talking while the inside stays stubborn.
• •Fresh, coarse panko gives the lightest crust, but good dried panko works. Press gently, not hard. You want crumbs clinging like a coat, not packed into armor.
• •If you use dashi in the batter or sauce, use real dashi or water. Powder brings salt and a flat smoked taste, and this skewer doesn't need it.
• •For a meatless table, use cold water or konbu-shiitake dashi in the batter and sauce, and check that the sauce contains no fish extract. That keeps the vegetable skewer honmono, not a compromise.

Advance Preparation

• •The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept refrigerated. Bring it back to room temperature before serving so it coats lightly.
• •The renkon can be sliced and held in the light vinegar water for up to 2 hours, refrigerated. Drain and dry it thoroughly before coating.
• •Bread the skewers just before frying. If they sit too long, the panko softens and the coating slumps.
• •The skewers are best eaten immediately. If needed, hold them on a rack in a 95°C oven for no more than 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)