Kinpira Renkon | Graces Japanese Cooking

You may have heard of Kinpira Gobo. Kinpira Renkon is made exactly the same way except with renkon (lotus root) :) With any kinpira dish, the vegetables are shredded or julienned, sautéed, then simmered in soy sauce and sweetener. Renkon is the root of a lotus plant used in many Asian dishes for its medicinal qualities as well as its versatility.

Compared to a daikon or a burdock root, these cute little "hole-ly" root vegetable is still relatively unknown in the states. Renkon is traditionally prepared as a tempura, or as a nimono (simmered dish). I personally like the flavor and texture of a kinpira dish, and its easy to make:)

So what is renkon? They are crunchy, fibrous, nutty, mildly sweet, similar to a water chestnut. It is full of gut friendly dietary fibers to support our digestive and immune health!

I hope you enjoy!!

Recipe (serves 2-3)

1/2 pound renkon (lotus root), peeled and sliced
1/2 large carrot or 1 medium carrot, unpeeled and julienned
2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon sweetener (I used coconut sugar)
1 teaspoon sake (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds for topping (optional)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for sautéing

1. Cut renkon in half (the long way), peel and slice.
2. Julienne carrot.
3. Heat frying pan to med-high heat and add oil.
4. Sauté renkon until slightly translucent, about 5-7 minutes, add carrots sauté for another 5-7 minutes.
5. Add sake(optional), mirin, and soy sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes or so. The soy sauce and mirin mixture tends to char the veggie. Lower heat to adjust.
6. Plate, garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!

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Instagram: @gracesjapanesecooking


This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, plant based and gluten free (if using tamari:)

Thanks for watching!
Love, Grace


All content and media on the Grace’s Japanese Cooking channel is created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. Readers should not act upon any information provided on this website without seeking advice from a licensed physician.