Lotus Root

Lotus root is the rhizome of the sacred lotus plant, grown underwater in ponds and paddies across Asia. When sliced crosswise, it reveals a beautiful lace-like pattern of holes that makes it one of the most visually striking vegetables in the kitchen.

The texture is crisp and starchy — similar to a water chestnut — with a mild, slightly sweet flavour. It’s a staple across Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian cooking, appearing in stir-fries, soups, salads, and tempura. Thinly sliced and deep-fried, it makes elegant, crunchy chips. Braised slowly, it becomes tender and absorbs surrounding flavours beautifully.

Lotus root is available fresh at Asian grocers across Australia, usually sold in linked segments coated in mud. It’s also available frozen, vacuum-packed, or canned. Fresh roots should be firm and free of soft spots.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Lotus plants are cultivated in shallow ponds or flooded paddies. The rhizomes grow horizontally in the muddy pond bed and are harvested by draining the water or carefully digging them out by hand or machine. The roots are washed to remove mud, trimmed, and sold in linked segments. They must be peeled before use, and are typically sliced to expose the characteristic hole pattern.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 74kcal
Protein 2.6g
Carbs 12.3g
Fat 0.1g
Fibre 4.9g Sugar 0g
Mass Distribution

10 slices (2-1/2" dia) is about 81 g — roughly 60 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.4kg
Freshwater ≈28L
Land ≈0.3m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

crunchy stir-fry vegetable

Goes well with
sesame soy ginger pork vinegar
Classic dishes
  • Braised lotus root
  • Lotus root chips
  • Lotus root stir-fry

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Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromLotus, rhizome goes well withsesame goes well withsoy goes well withginger goes well withpork goes well withvinegar shares a sourceLotus Seeds
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