The rich, sweet and savory flavor, accented with ginger, is sure to whet your appetite! This “lotus root-filled meatball” uses lotus root in the meat mixture
The rich, sweet and savory flavor, accented with ginger, is sure to whet your appetite! This "lotus root-filled meatball" uses lotus root in the meat mixture as well.
As the heat subsides and we begin to feel the arrival of autumn, we start to crave dishes made with hearty root vegetables. Sweet potatoes and potatoes are great choices, but incorporating less common vegetables like burdock and lotus root can broaden your culinary horizons even further. The October 2026 issue of "3-Minute Cooking" features "Autumn Dishes with Lotus Root and Burdock." Among them, the "Lotus Root Meatballs" particularly caught my eye. Not only does it look appealing, making the most of the lotus root's shape, but the sweet and savory flavor with ginger sounds absolutely delicious! I was intrigued, so I decided to try making it right away.
The glossy, sweet and savory sauce is sure to whet your appetite: "Lotus Root Meatballs"
Ingredients (for 2 servings) Lotus root...1 section (200g) Meat mixture Ground chicken...250g Grated ginger...1/2 piece Minced green onion...1/2 small stalk (40g) Potato starch, sake...2 teaspoons each Salt...1/4 teaspoon Sake...1 tablespoon Sauce Soy sauce, mirin...1 tablespoon each Sugar...2 teaspoons Potato starch...1/4 teaspoon Water...1 and 1/4 tablespoons Oil Instructions 1 Wash the lotus root thoroughly with the skin on, take 16 thin slices from the end, and roughly chop the rest. Mix the sauce ingredients. 2 Put the meat mixture ingredients in a bowl and mix well, then add the roughly chopped lotus root and mix well. Divide into 8 equal portions and shape into flat patties, attaching the lotus root slices to the top and bottom. 3 Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a frying pan, arrange the meatballs from step 2, and cook for 1 minute and 30 seconds on each side. Sprinkle with sake, cover, and steam-fry over low heat for about 2 minutes until cooked through. 4 Add the sauce, increase the heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the meatballs. Serve on a plate. Garnish with radish sprouts cut in half lengthwise, if desired. ◇◇◇ The fluffy texture of the sliced lotus root and the crisp crunch of the coarsely chopped lotus root provide a nice contrast to the soft texture of the ground chicken! The sweet and savory seasoning based on soy sauce, mirin, and sugar coats the meatballs well, making you want to eat more and more rice. The flavors of ginger and green onions also come through, nicely balancing the sweet sauce. The rich, slightly heavy, and flavorful seasoning is sure to satisfy your appetite in the coming season as the weather becomes more pleasant! I will definitely make this again. Cooking and text by Tsukino Shizuku
Information
The October issue features a special on autumn dishes using lotus root and burdock. The supplement includes 50 recipes for mixed rice dishes. The special feature of the October issue is "Autumn Dishes Using Lotus Root and Burdock." We offer a wide variety of dishes, from lotus root hamburgers, meat-wrapped tempura, and chijimi to burdock dishes that go well with rice, as well as steamed dishes using a bamboo steamer and convenient make-ahead recipes. The large-volume supplement is "50 Autumn Mixed Rice Dishes." Eiko Oba's serialized column "Adult Microwave Dishes" is themed on "Eryngii Mushrooms." The popular serialized column "Kazuo Tobita's Family Staples" is "This is How to Eat Lotus Root."
