Crispy Lotus Root Chips (Renkon Chips) fried to perfection and sprinkled with Himalayan pink salt and Japanese aonori seaweed powder.
My favorite local Japanese restaurant Izakaya Ginji in San Mateo offers these Renkon Chips or Lotus Root Chips. After ordering this menu a few times, I knew I had to make these at home. With a pinch of Himalayan pink salt and sprinkle of Aonori seaweed, these fried crispy root vegetable will be your favorite type of chips!
What is Renkon?
Renkon (蓮根) is a Japanese word for lotus root. We often use this root vegetable in a simmered dish, like Chikuzenni (Nishime), or Tempura. It has a crunchy texture like typical root vegetables, and the most unique part is that the root has bunch of holes.
When you slice the root, you will see the beautiful pattern. When you deep fry thin slices of lotus root to a golden color, they will turn into a beautiful appetizer. It’s actually a very simple dish to make, too.
They are crunchy and crispy, and once you eat some, you cannot stop eating. So addicting! You might want to double the recipe! 😉
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- 1 lotus root (renkon) (1 lotus root = 1/2 lb)
- Rice vinegar (see recipe below)
- neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (for deep frying)
- Himalayan Pink Salt (or sea salt)
- Aonori (dried green seaweed) (optional)
-
Gather all the ingredients.
- Rinse the renkon and either cut with knife or use a mandolin slider to make 1/8 inch thin slices (see below). I don’t peel off the renkon skin as it gives nice look but it’s up to you.
- Add a few drops of rice vinegar and soak the sliced renkon in vinegar water for 5-10 minutes. Vinegar water will prevent the renkon from changing to a dark color.
- Rinse and drain well.
- And pat dry on paper towel – make sure to wipe off all the liquid.
- Heat the oil to 340F (170C) on medium high heat. Drop a piece of renkon to see if it’s ready. If it comes right up, then it's time to deep fry.
- Deep fry until renkon gets crispy and golden color.
- Once they are nicely fried, spread on a wired rack or paper towel to drip excel oil. Season with salt and aonori and serve immediately.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
I love renkon and can’t wait to try these chips! By the way, Nami, where did you get your mandoline?
I just checked and it’s from OXO: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Mandoline-Slicer/dp/B0000DAQ8B/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348125752&sr=8-2&keywords=oxo+mandoline
My husband bought it because he really likes thin shredded cabbage for tonkatsu. I didn’t know it cost $69! Japanese stores also sells a mandolin slicer that my mom is using for years (and much cheaper!). I was fine with those… lol.
Such an interesting snack! I love renkon and would like to try this for my family. I’ve seen frozen renkon–do you think I could use that or is fresh better? Thanks, Nami!
Is frozen renkon thinly sliced already? I think that will work. Be careful when you fry. 🙂 I think the final result shouldn’t matter much if renkon was frozen or not, especially if you can only get frozen one. 🙂
Hi Nami
I love renkon so I am definitely going to try this. One question, where did you find Himalayan Pink Salt? I am from Northern California and frequently visit relatives in the bay area. I have never heard of this salt.
Hi Judy! I’m pretty sure I got this at Costco here. It’s great salt and I enjoy using it. Hope you can find it and enjoy these chips! 🙂
Himalayan pink salt is now widely available. Costco sells it in varied size containers all the way up to 6lb. jars. Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and many other grocery stores have it as well. Easy enough to find fresh lotus root if you come to Bay Area: Nijiya Markets sell it as does Berkeley Bowl in both locations. Other locations too.
Hi Nami, I linked to this post on my blog. I tried these and they were delicious on their own as well as eaten with a simple broccoli and potato soup. I used furikake instead of the sea salt and aonori since it’s what I had on hand. Thanks for the great recipes.
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for trying the recipe! Furikake is an excellent idea! I love simple salt on the chips. So glad you liked it!
Hi nami, first i wanna say that i love your website and have followed many of your recipes. They are all great. So keep up the good work. And i love now u also make videos 😉
Anyway i have a question about this renkon chips. Do they have to be eaten right after fried? I made them yesterday and they taste great. Just like potato chips, i have never tried renkon chips before i only use renkon in chinese soup. i keep them in tight lid container and today they are not crisp anymore. Instead they got chewy. Am i doing it wrong? Thanks before.
Hi Jinilia! Thank you so much for following my blog and testing many of my recipes. I’m so happy! 😀
Regarding the deep renkon chips, it’s just a natural nature that fried food gets soggy . It’s not just the air (even though you use air tight package). The food has moisture inside (renkon here) and once you leave it out, the moisture starts to appear from the veggies hence it gets soft and soggy. Only way to make it crisp is to fry again. I’m too lazy to do it, so I use a toaster oven. By heating up, the oil on the renkon is heated and make the batter crispy again. But you should eat it soon this time. Hope that helps. 🙂
Thanks Nami for the explanation 🙂 maybe next time i’ll just eat them all after frying
Dear Nami,
It looks yummy and crunchy. Do u need to put the renkon to the sun to dry it before frying or slice it directly into the oil. I once did it but it wasn’t as crispy . I tried with banana too but it also turned out soft after sometime. Any tips for both.
Hi Imelda! You do not need to put renkon under the sun, but you need to drain well and pat dry with paper towel. Water and oil doesn’t mix well, you know. 🙂 You can dust potato starch (or corn starch), but then it’ll be more starchy texture. I get crisp texture without it. Make sure the oil temperature is not too low, then it’ll get soggy for sure. Good luck! 🙂
Hi Nami, how long can these chips be kept? I’m excited at just the thought of making it and might wanna make more and put them in containers
Hi Julianne! To be honest, deep fried food is the best when it’s just deep fried. Tempura or any type of deep fried food will get wilted once it’s been cooked. It’s just the nature… So to enjoy this, I’d highly recommend to make ones that you would enjoy and I won’t keep it. It’ll be soggy and not crispy. I really wish it stays crispy though!
Bought renkon for the first time today after going crazy over these when I was in Japan. Tried this recipe and it feels like I am in Japan again. Can’t wait to go back. 🙂
Hi The Nat! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! 🙂
Can you make these the night before? My daughter is doing a report on Japan and needs a dish/food to bring to class… was thinking this would be a good-easy appetizer to send along
Hi Nicole! I apologize for my late response. Just like other deep fried foods or vegetable chips, they can get soggy if it’s not eaten soon after cooked. They won’t be crunchy anymore. So I recommend to re-toast them again if you can, and if not, make sure to cool down first befor you pack to bring to school (moisture in the air can get them soggy). Hope this helps…
Today I try making renkon chips but without soaking them in vinegar water nor season with salt, as I thought these might impair renkon’s natural flavour. When those thin renkon slices turn to golden colour on the frying pan, the texture look kind of moist and soft. So I continue to deep fry them until they stop bubbling. That’s when they start to look crispy and… turning dark as well!
I wasn’t sure if that’s the sign of burn, or was it because I did not soak them in vinegar water to prevent oxidation. But it does leave a hint of bitter taste in my mouth, as they’re truly burned?!
So, what goes wrong?
Should I first soak the renkon slices in vinegar water at the cost of losing it’s natural flavour?
Or, should I remove the chips out from the pan when they start to turn golden colour and forgo the crispiness?
My renkon slices are about 1 millimeter thick.
Please advise. Thanks in advance.
P.S. Your renkon chips look so wonderful that I’m willing to trade my love for just a bite!
Hi Kelvin! It’s very common kitchen practice to use vinegar water to soak lotus root in Japanese cooking and I think we are just used to eating whatever flavors it has after soaking. So I’m not sure and can’t compare – you could at least soak in water? Take out the golden color lotus root and it will become crispy on wire rack or paper towel. Just make sure the temp is high so it is not “absorbing” the oil. Then it won’t become crispy. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I can only buy thinly sliced renkon frozen in Australia. Should I put the frozen pieces straight into the deep fryer or defrost them and follow the steps listed?
Hi Dee! I’d defrost and remove the moisture before you add into the oil. 🙂
These renkon chips were outstanding! My husband slice then super thin with the mandolin.
Hi Elaine! I’m so glad to hear you enjoy Renkon Chips! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Dear Nami, i bought accidentally 3kg of lotus root and I’ve little, tiny question… can I freeze fresh root?
Hi Ariel! Yes, you can freeze fresh root. You can also rinse, dry and slice ahead for easy use later too! 🙂
I am loving your food blog. I recently tried Lotus root for the first time at Yummy Szechuan in Millbrae and I am obsessed! So, I am filling up my Pinterest with recipe ideas and your site is a one stop shop! I love that you are local Yay Arean and you gave a shout out to a restaurant I enjoy, Izakaya Ginji. ( Foster City gal here) I’m looking forward to trying out some of your recipes. Thank You!
Hi neighbor! It’s so nice to talk to a local reader. 🙂 Japanese recipes use lotus root often, so you will see quite a few recipes on my site. 🙂 I LOVE crunchy lotus root and all kinds of root vegetables.
Izakaya Ginji doesn’t change menu for years, so now we enjoy going to Kemuri Baru in Redwood City. More unique and quite delicious. Hope you give it a try if you haven’t. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Can you bake these chips instead of frying them? If yes, what temperature would you suggest and for how long?
Thank you!
Christie