Lotus Root Subzi

Though popular in Asia, Lotus Root is not a common vegetable in the west. The fresh variety is most commonly found in Asian markets while frozen, ready to cook lotus root can be found in Indian grocery stores. In general, lotus root retains a lot of its crunch even after cooking and provides a unique texture to the subzi. Try this tangy, crunchy lotus root subzi recipe and add a whole new element of surprise to your dinner table.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Lotus Root – 12 oz (approx 300 grams), peeled and sliced
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Ginger/Garlic Paste – 1 Tbsp
Tomatoes – 4 medium, pureed
Red Chili Powder – 1/2 tsp or to taste
Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder – 1 Tbsp
Salt – to taste
Water – 1/2 cup
Cilantro (Coriander) – 5 sprigs, chopped for garnishing

Method:

1. Heat Oil in a medium pan on medium heat.
2. Add Turmeric Powder and Ginger/Garlic Paste. Cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add pureed Tomatoes, Red Chili Powder, Garam Masala and a little Salt. Mix and cook until tomatoes clump and all moisture is evaporated (approx 12 minutes).
4. Add Lotus Root and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add 1/2 cup water, mix, cover and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
6. Garnish with chopped Cilantro and serve with chapati or paratha.

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0 thoughts on “Lotus Root Subzi

  1. Hi Hetal and Anuja. I juat wanted to give a shout our to you guys from Orlando. I love your recipes and the hip approach you guys use on your show. Thanks for publishing a lotus subzi recipe. Im a vegitarian and lotus has a lot of iron so it is greatly appreciated.

    I want to submit a recipe for a sweet and sour bannana subzi that I love but dont know how to go about it. Any advice would be very helpfull. Keep up the great work you guys!!!!

    Sincerely Archie

  2. Hey girls,

    Usually your recipes work best for me..But this time it didn’t. You guys said, ” cook for 5 minutes after adding lotus roots.” and I cooked lotus roots for 45 minutes and it is still not done. I still find it raw, I would not say it is “crunchy”, so I think to boil it before or saute it in oil before adding it to a tomato paste would be a good idea to make this sabji.

  3. HI GIRLS!
    I HAVE GROWN EATING THIS VEGETABLE A LOT.
    THE PROPER WAY TO COOK IT IS FIRST YOU SLICE IT DIAGONALLY SO THAT ANY DIRT TRAPPED IN THE HOLES CAN BE CLEANED THROUGHLY.
    SECOND IS YOU NEED TO BOIL IT (ONE WHISTLE IN PRESSURE COOKER)
    OR SAUTE IT FOR 5 TO 7 MIN IN 1 OR 2 TBSP OIL BEFORE ADDING IT TO THE TOMATO PASTE. AND YOU CAN ALSO ADD ONION PASTE OR THE PUNJABI PASTE TO IT ALONG WITH GINGER GARLIC.
    BHEN IS PROFONDLY EATEN IN PUNJAB AND KASHMIR.
    TRY IT THIS WAY AND LET ME KNOW HOW DO U LIKE IT.
    REGARDS
    NISHA

  4. Hey Anuja N Hetal,
    This is about methi pulao
    I did make this rice couple of times. The first time I made for 4-6 servings i.e followed the recipe to the รขโ‚ฌล“Tรขโ‚ฌย. The next time I made I made for for 12-14 servings and off course did the measurements n proportions accordingly and let the rice cook for 15 mins as I had seen in one of your comments that cooking time remains same no matter what the quantity of rice is , hence I did the same. The rice cooked like 90 percent there were some portions which remained raw. what wrong did I do? please advice.
    thanks

  5. Years ago I made lotus root sabji for the first time and had no clue that it would not become soft like other vegetables. Got tired of cooking and then put it in the microwave for few minutes. It became crispy and with all that spice and oil, it tasted so great! It was over straight from the dish ๐Ÿ˜€

  6. tasty!
    I am gona try it soon..Ladies can u plss teach us how to make “stuffed karela” ? I appreciate your efforts!

  7. Hetal you look awesome in this outfit. And i love the way how you explain things. And i love the accessories too. Totaly love you. You look gorgous.

    Anuja, you look glitering ! Love your outfit. Perfectly matches for you skin tone. Good selection.

    Sorry for giving non-food comments.

  8. Hi Anuja & Heta another whant to try recpie it look realy easy and i have a question where can i get the frying pan the one your are using in this lotus root subzi recipe.

    Thank you
    Muthu

  9. I love the idea of using lotus root. It’s such a beautiful vegetable. I don’t care for sour foods at all though; other than using fresh tomatoes, is there any way this dish could be made sweeter without ruining its flavor?

    Thank you Anuja and Hetal!

  10. G’day and thank you for this recipe! I have only seen them frozen (like cassava) in the Asian shops. Are these supposed to be used frozen or thawed? Thank you!

  11. this is an interesting recipe. i’ve had a hard time finding lotus root in the indian store as i’m not sure many indians eat it. perhaps ppl from south india do eat it? i cannot stand frozen lotus root as it completely loses its taste…i tend to get the fresh variety from the chinese stores near me.

    i’m kashmiri and we absolutely LOVE lotus root as its found easily in kashmir (called NADUR in kashmiri). we often use a yogurt base for the gravy or make it super spicy and add it to potatoes, saag, paneer or even daal. will try out your recipe as well.

    1. You can usually buy lotus roots at Asian grocery stores. I sometimes see them at organic food markets and farmer’s markets. But the Asian grocery stores will most likely have it.

  12. also, I’ve heard it is very good for preventing phlegm from forming in yur lungs. I can believe that since it stays in water without rotting or spoiling, it could be that it has some phyto chemicals that can keep the colds & congestion away.

  13. Hi, I make koftas that are to die for. I clean up the roots, chop them uo & grind them to a paste with as little water as possible with some garlic cloves & a 1/2″ piece of ginger added to it, Takes some time. The Indian style grinding stone works better & quicker (while providing a great upper arm workout & shaving some time from the daily workout.) For 1 cup of the paste, add 2-3 heaped tablespoons of besan, & add a finely chopped green chili, 1-2 tsp fine chopped coriander leaves, 3/4 tsp each of jeera, dhania & garam masala powders, & 1/2 tsp baking powder. Mix well, if needed add some more besan to form round koftas. Deep fry in oil over moderate heat till cooked through & nicely browned all over. Drain & set in the dish you want to serve them in. Make the regular curry gravy, your favorite kind, keeping it on the thinner side, & salting it. Pour the boiling hot gravy over the koftas, let them sit covered till needed. Can warm them up overthe stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave. I usually leave them in the oven at 250 degrees F, along with all the other food that needs to be kept warm till serving time. About 20 minutes is good to soak the koftas. I don’t add salt to the koftas before frying unless I plan to serve them as snacks, when I season them well & add more of the coriander & green chilies. Serve the curry garnished the way you kike, with tomatoes, cilantro, green chilis, any way you fancy.

      1. Instead of adding baking powder/soda try adding little paneer (mashed) and see the difference,it really tastes yumm!!

  14. Another amazing recipe !!!Thanks girls for this wonderful recipe.I’ve always seen this in asian grocery stores an never knew how to cook this roots..It is a keeper..

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