Vinegared Lotus Root (酢蓮根, Su-renkon)

Lotus root tells you what it is before you taste it. Cut across the root and the holes open like little windows, which is why we bring it to the New Year table. It suggests seeing clearly into the year ahead. A cook can do worse than begin January with a vegetable that asks for a sharp knife and a little optimism.

Su-renkon looks more difficult than it is because the slices are often cut into petals, hana-renkon, flower-shaped lotus root. Don't let that frighten you. The petal cut is only small V-shaped notches between the holes, tidy work rather than clever work. If the root is fresh and firm, the knife will tell you where to go.

The detail that decides the dish is the blanching. Too long, and the lotus root loses the crisp snap that makes it worth eating. Too little, and the raw edge stays harsh. A few minutes in vinegar-touched water keeps the slices pale, cleans the flavor, and leaves them lively under the teeth. Then they rest in amazu, sweet vinegar, until the seasoning reaches the center.

This is one of the vinegared dishes, sunomono, set into a meal to refresh the mouth between richer things. At New Year, beside black beans, rolled omelet, and simmered vegetables, it does the same work with a little ceremony. Honmono doesn't need to be grand. Sometimes it's a white slice in a small dish, nothing hidden, left enough room to be seen.