Lotus Root Persimmon Salad
Quick answer
This salad combines blanched lotus root and sliced sweet persimmon to reflect seasonal autumn produce.
What makes this special
- Lotus Root Persimmon Salad highlights clean autumnal flavors and a characteristic crisp snap.
- Sliced persimmon and blanched lotus root carry a distinctly autumnal palette
- Dry-toasted walnuts bring earthy fat that contrasts the persimmon's sweetness
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Trim the 200 g lotus root and slice it evenly about 3 mm thick.
- 2 Bring a pot of water to a full boil, add the lotus root, and blanch over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- 3 Rinse the blanched lotus root immediately in cold water to stop the cooking and keep it crisp.
This salad combines blanched lotus root and sliced sweet persimmon to reflect seasonal autumn produce. The lotus root provides a clean and crisp texture that contrasts with the natural sweetness found in the fruit slices. A dressing composed of olive oil, honey, and fresh lemon juice is used to coat the ingredients without masking their individual flavors. Crumbled feta cheese provides a salty and tangy dairy element that balances the sugar content of the persimmon. Toasted walnuts, which are prepared by heating them briefly in a dry pan, contribute earthy fats and a crunchy texture that differs from the softer fruit. The salad is assembled on a base of baby greens to provide a layer of color. Dividing the dressing into two separate additions during the mixing process ensures that the seasoning is distributed evenly across all components. While the recipe typically uses firm persimmons, ripe soft persimmons known as hongsi can be used as an alternative. This variation produces a salad with a sweeter profile and a much softer, more yielding consistency.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Trim the 200 g lotus root and slice it evenly about 3 mm thick.
Soak the slices in lightly acidulated water for 5 minutes so they stay pale, then drain them before blanching.
- 2Control
Bring a pot of water to a full boil, add the lotus root, and blanch over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
Remove it as soon as the edges look slightly translucent, before the slices soften too much.
- 3Heat
Rinse the blanched lotus root immediately in cold water to stop the cooking and keep it crisp.
Drain it in a sieve, then press with paper towels because excess water will thin the dressing.
- 4Control
Remove any seeds and firm core from 1 sweet persimmon, then slice it thinly so it bends without breaking.
Toast 30 g walnuts in a dry pan over low heat for 2 minutes, just until fragrant.
- 5Season
In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, salt, and black pepper.
Whisk until the honey dissolves fully, so the dressing coats the greens instead of streaking.
- 6Finish
Toss 80 g baby greens, lotus root, and persimmon gently with only two-thirds of the dressing, lifting rather than pressing.
Plate the salad, add 60 g crumbled feta and the walnuts, then drizzle the remaining dressing to finish.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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