Lotus Root Chip Attempt

    One food that I had been looking forward to trying to make something out of this year was lotus root, also known as renkon. It's easy to find in most Japanese grocery stores both in its raw form and in a processed form. Raw, the lotus root may look like an especially symmetrical and almost cylindrical potato. When the outer layers are peeled and the thing is thoroughly rinsed, it's more of a pale lump, a little bigger than a fist, with holes in an almost flower-like pattern on one end.

    They even have sliced varieties in processed pouches, but for this recipe I decided to buy the processed lump, taking a prepared but unsliced route. They don't cost much and they are said to be sweet when cooked properly. Though they are frequently used in stir-fry, I've tried Lotus root chips before and really enjoyed them, so I decided to try to make my own. I found a recipe online and started preparing, though I will admit I cut the chips far too wide. About half that with should probably be used.

The recipe said 1/8 inch, but I've never cooked in inches, so I did this instead. It was a mistake.

    After rinsing and slicing, the recipe said to put the slices in a bowl with seasoning and toss them until coated. The recipe salt to use a bunch of salt and a bit of garlic, but I was running out of salt and went for Magic Salt, a seasoning mixture, instead. In the end, I think the root slices would have been much more delicious with a simpler seasoning like the recommended salt instead.

    The recipe suggested that the roots should be cooked at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (which is 162 degrees Celsius) for 25 minutes. While they said that this could be done in an air fryer they did not explain any changes in time or temperature and I neglected to look them up. Cooking new foods when my kid is off from school is a bad idea all around, as I soon found out. Distraction ensued, so instead of checking on the chips every five to ten minutes, I wound up leaving them in there the whole time. 

Going in: Seasoned, spaced apart on parchment paper, as directed.


Coming out: Almost burnt, jumbled, and with holes burned through the parchment paper.

    The resulting chips were edible but nothing to write home about, and definitely a far cry from what I had intended to make. I managed to eat them all by myself, and the centers were still a little bit too chewy. This is probably owing to the overall thickness of the slices. Meanwhile, the outer walls were almost too crunchy to chew at all.

Edible? Yes. Delicious? No.

    Thinner slices, simpler seasoning, and regular checks of the food would have improved this dish greatly. Otherwise, frying them in oil may be preferred. While it's not the worst thing I've made, I will do more research on how to adapt traditional recipes for air fryers before I try anything like this again.