Making Colorful and Beautiful Lotus Root Crisps (Bugak)
Recipe for Crispy and Delicious Lotus Root Bugak (Including Lotus Root Benefits)
Nowadays, when my body often feels weak, I frequently experience nosebleeds and bleeding gums. To combat this, I’ve been incorporating lotus root into my diet in various ways. Today, I decided to make crispy lotus root bugak! I’ve added a visual delight by coloring the lotus root with gardenia and beetroot. Here’s my recipe for lotus root bugak, which offers the crisp texture of lotus root, its subtle sweetness, and the savory crunch of being deep-fried. It’s not difficult, so let’s make it together!
Ingredients
- 1kg Lotus root
- 2 cups glutinous rice flour
- 3 gardenia fruits (or powder)
- 15g beetroot
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp vinegar
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the natural colorings to give the lotus root bugak its beautiful hues. Take dried gardenia fruits (or powder) and beetroot, and soak them in 1 cup of water to create a colored liquid. Gardenia will release its color quickly, while beetroot might take a little longer to achieve a deep shade, so keep that in mind.
Step 2
Now, thoroughly clean and thinly slice the lotus root. A thickness of about 0.2-0.3 cm is ideal. Slices around 0.5 cm can feel a bit hard when eaten later, so I recommend slicing them thinly for a crispier texture after frying.
Step 3
As you slice the lotus root, simultaneously perform an important step to remove its astringency, prevent browning, and wash away excess starch. Fill a large bowl with 1 cup of cold water and dissolve 1 tablespoon of vinegar in it to create a vinegar bath. Immediately place the sliced lotus root into this vinegar water.
Step 4
After soaking the lotus root in the vinegar water, rinse it thoroughly under cold running water to remove any remaining vinegar and starch. Drain the rinsed lotus root and divide it into about three equal portions. Keep one portion plain, and soak the other two portions in the gardenia water and beetroot water respectively to infuse them with color. Gardenia will impart a vibrant yellow color in about 30 minutes, but beetroot might take a bit longer to achieve a rich color, so be patient.
Step 5
In a blender, combine the 2 cups of glutinous rice flour with a small amount of water and blend until smooth. Transfer this mixture to a pot, add a total of 5 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt, and cook to make a glutinous rice paste (jjolpyeon). The paste might seem thin initially but will thicken as it cools, so avoid making it too thick from the start. Maintaining the right consistency is key for applying a thin and even coating to the bugak.
Step 6
Now, take the cooked glutinous rice paste and add small amounts of the infused gardenia water and beetroot water to create beautifully colored pastes. Prepare a white paste, a yellow paste, and a red paste for a visually appealing lotus root bugak.
Step 7
Carefully remove the lotus root slices from the colored water and blanch them in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Blanch the slices soaked in gardenia water and those in beetroot water separately. This light blanching process will soften the lotus root slightly, making the subsequent drying and frying steps easier.
Step 8
After blanching, drain the lotus root slices thoroughly on a sieve to remove excess moisture. Any remaining water can prolong the drying time and result in soggy bugak. You can use a microwave, but I prefer using a food dehydrator. I did an initial 1-hour drying at 50°C (122°F) to remove surface moisture.
Step 9
Now it’s time to apply the colors. Prepare the yellow paste made with gardenia water. Apply a thin, even layer of this yellow paste to both sides of the plain (white) lotus root slices that have undergone the initial drying. Arrange the coated lotus root slices neatly on the food dehydrator trays, ensuring they don’t overlap.
Step 10
Similarly, prepare the red paste made with beetroot water and apply it beautifully to the white lotus root slices. You can also double-coat the gardenia-colored slices with the beetroot paste, or vice versa, to create even more vibrant and varied colors. Place all the coated lotus root slices into the food dehydrator.
Step 11
To ensure the paste adheres well and thinly to the lotus root, it’s crucial that the lotus root is completely dry. Also, if the paste is too thick, the bugak will be bulky and less crispy, so aim for a thinner consistency. Once the lotus root is dried and coated properly, you’re almost done! (Tip: If you have leftover paste, don’t discard it! You can use it to make seaweed bugak or other vegetable bugak.)
Step 12
After coating all the lotus root slices, begin the main drying process in the food dehydrator. Dry them thoroughly at 50°C (122°F) for approximately 10 hours. The drying time may vary depending on humidity and dehydrator efficiency, so adjust as needed until the lotus root is completely dry and crispy. Ensure they are fully dehydrated to achieve the best crunch.
Step 13
Drying at a lower temperature for a longer period, like 50°C, is preferable to high-heat, short-time drying. This method helps minimize the loss of nutrients and results in a crispier bugak. Well-dried bugak should easily peel off the dehydrator trays, making them convenient to handle.
Step 14
I used 1kg of lotus root for this batch, and the resulting amount of bugak seems quite small after drying. Because the volume significantly reduces during the process, if you want a larger quantity, consider increasing the amount of lotus root you start with. Making small batches whenever you have time can be a practical way to have these delicious snacks or side dishes on hand.
Step 15
Now it’s time to fry the perfectly dried lotus root bugak! Heat your frying oil to 160-170°C (320-338°F). Carefully place the lotus root bugak into the hot oil and fry for just about 5 seconds. Frying for too long can cause them to burn, so a quick fry is essential to maintain their crispiness. Once fried, remove them onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil, and enjoy your delicious homemade bugak!
