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 a sprinkle of Aonori seaweed, these fried crispy root vegetables 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 a bunch of holes.
When you slice the root, you will see a 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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Lotus Root Chips (Renkon Chips)
Ingredients
- 1 lotus root (renkon) (½ lb, 227 g)
- 2 cups water (for soaking the lotus root)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) (for soaking the lotus root)
- 1 cup neutral oil (for frying)
For the Seasoning
- Himalayan pink salt
- aonori (dried green laver seaweed)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Rinse 1 lotus root (renkon) well (I don‘t peel the skin, but it‘s up to you). With a sharp knife or a mandoline slicer, cut the lotus root to ⅛ inch (3 mm) thin slices or even thinner slices (see below).
- Prepare a bowl of 2 cups water and 1 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned). Soak the lotus root slices in the vinegared water for 5–10 minutes. The vinegared water will prevent the lotus root from changing color and make the color white.
- Rinse and drain well.
- Pat dry on a paper towel—make sure to wipe off all the moisture.
- Heat 1 cup neutral oil to 340ºF (170ºC) on medium-high heat. Drop a slice of lotus root to see if the oil is hot enough. If it comes right up to the surface, then the oil is ready for frying.
- Deep-fry until the lotus root slices get crispy and golden brown.
- Once they are nicely fried, spread on a wired rack or a paper towel to remove excel oil. Season with Himalayan pink salt and aonori (dried green laver seaweed) and serve immediately.
To Bake in the Oven
- Baked Renkon Chips won‘t be as crispy as the deep-fried version, but if you prefer this method, here are the instructions. Preheat oven 350ºF (170ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Lay each lotus root slice in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets lined with parchment paper and lightly brush both sides lotus root slices with oil. Bake for 15–20 minutes, flipping halfway through. The cooking time varies depending on thickness. When the slices turn nice golden brown, remove them from the oven.
Nami, I simply love your recipes. Watching your videos and cooking with ease from your recipes, a total win/win! I live in S.F. and there’s is a company called Good Roots. They make 3 differnt renkon chips. Original with sea salt, Seaweed with aonori and sea salt and my favorite, Wasabi. Using Wasabi powder, what salt/wasabi ratio would you use? I love your recipe and want to try it using wasabi.
Hi Frank! Thank you very much for your kind words to Nami.
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you enjoy watching videos and cooking many dishes from our site.
Wasabi flavor Renkon Chips sounds very yummy, but we have never tasted the brand before and we are not sure how to recreate the flavor. Sorry.
We will taste it when we have a chance.😉
I think this is fail recipe. You should not soak / pay fry then deep fry. It’s soggy deep fried. Not good
Hi Homechef! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe.
We are sorry to hear that your Renkon Chips came out soggy-deep-fried. This Chip is a typical recipe in Japan, and this is how it’s made. And it always turns out crispy, like potato chips! Please make sure to remove moisture from Renkon and use proper temperature oil. If you use a lower temperature, it will not make the chips crispy. We hope this helps!
I just received an Instant Pot air fryer lid for Christmas and wondering if I can make these chips with it. Do you have any suggestions or experience? Thanks.
Hi Karen,
We have never used an air fryer for this recipe and don’t know how the outcome will be… Let us know how it goes!
Amazing! I enjoy spice so tired red pepper “Ichimi Togarashi”.
Hi Linda!
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed Renkon Chips!
Thank you for your kind feedback!
I’ve never known what to do with lotus root, and this looked simple enough to try. I didn’t have pink salt or seaweed powder (I ordered the seaweed powder though! I know it adds just a little extra something), but I used regular salt just so I could get the idea. Once I ate one, I just kept eating! I had to share with the rest of my family so I wouldn’t eat all of them on my own in one sitting!
Hi Amber!
Yep! It’s so good and addicting!😁 Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so glad to hear you and your family enjoy the Renkon Chips!