Cu sen kho tieu xanh gives a plate of glossy brown lotus root, balanced between salty and sweet and sharply fragrant with green peppercorns. Braised long enough, the root turns tender while keeping its snap.
The difficulty is how fast lotus root darkens once it is peeled. Ten minutes in water with lime juice keeps it pale. The braising liquid goes in two additions, since pouring it all in at once cooks the root unevenly and takes far longer to reduce.
This batch weighs about 892g, at roughly 76 calories per 100g.
Method
Peel 300g lotus root and soak it for 10 minutes in water mixed with 1 tablespoon lime juice, then lift it out, rinse it and cut it on the diagonal into 0.5cm slices.
Rinse 50g green peppercorns and pound them lightly.
Set a pot over medium heat and add 1 bowl of water along with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon vegetarian seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 2 tablespoons cooking oil and 1 teaspoon nuoc mau, then stir well. Add the green peppercorns and simmer a few minutes.
Once the liquid boils, add the lotus root, stir, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the second bowl of water and braise until the root is tender and the liquid has thickened.
Turn out onto a plate, arrange the green peppercorns on top, scatter over 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and serve hot with white rice.
Tips
Soaking the lotus root in water with lime juice before braising keeps it from darkening.
The dish is ready when it has a glossy brown color and salt and sweetness sit in balance.
Diagonal slices 0.5cm thick take the seasoning evenly and hold up to a long braise.
Pound the green peppercorns lightly rather than crushing them, since fully broken corns turn the dish harshly hot.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so stir the braising liquid, wait 5 minutes and stir again before the lotus root goes in.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend does not caramelize to a deep amber, so the brown here comes from the coconut caramel sauce and the soy sauce reducing.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.