You're probably thinking, what the choice of word are those! These are lotus wheels as I call them or slices of lotus root. These are a candied version I picked up this morning at the Asian market amidst all the other Chinese New Years candies. They're stupidly good, I figured why not, I love lotus root. Funny looking things aren't they?

Lotus root is a tuber, so it's a starchy thing. It can be deep fried, sautéed, baked, braised and even candied. They do have pickled variations but I found all other forms of it more appetizing thus far.

You're likely not going to find lotus root in a regular market but mostly Asian markets, fresh, frozen or brined.
I generally cook them in Cantonese style dishes from fresh roots, I've used brined before and was not thrilled with the texture difference. I do want to challenge myself at some point and use it outside of Asian cooking, maybe start out easy, in a stew or nice thick steaky wheel "fries".

Anyway, they are amazingly delicate and crunchy at the same time. All while having a complexity of being lightly sweet and peppery at the same time. I encourage anyone who just likes food to try some form (or all) of lotus root if given the chance. There are tons of recipes online that can suit your fancy or just wing it. They're kinda hard to ruin.

Happy Early Chinese New Year, bless those red envelopes and say hello to the year of the dog. May good fortune be upon you.

~Little bits: did you know you're Chinese zodiac goes far beyond just the animal? But their elemental alignment as well based off other birth specifications? I.e., I'm a water monkey... a sea... monkey... pft.

Happy eating :)