Lotus Root Salad

Lotus root salad (goi ngo sen) is a light and refreshing salad. It is very herbaceous with tanginess and heat from the sauce. My version of the salad is made with chicken and shrimp, but you can use any protein that you prefer.

The lotus root itself is very mild in flavor and thus takes on the flavor of the dressing really well. They are high in fiber and boast health benefits such as managing your body’s cholesterol and blood sugar.

This is definitely a great salad to add to your salad rotation.

Notes:

All for one – components of the salad can be made ahead of time and then assembled right before serving. Do not add the herbs until you are ready to serve.
Lotus rootlets and Vietnamese coriander are available at most Asian markets. Occasionally, you can find pickled daikon and carrots premade in the markets as well. If not you can easily it yourself.

Lotus Root Salad with Chicken and Shrimp

Time: 1 hour
Serves: 8

½ cup jeow wan/nuoc mam sauce
1 (15 oz) jar lotus rootlets, drained and rinsed
½ lb (226 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ lb (226g) chicken or pork
½ bunch of cilantro
1 handful of Vietnamese coriander (rau ram)
1 cup pickled carrots and daikon, drained
Salt and pepper

Garnish

Fried red onion
Crush roasted peanuts

• Prepare the jeow wan (minus peanuts) /nuoc mam sauce.
• Season a gallon of water with salt and pepper or any other seasoning that you prefer. I added a couple of slices of ginger before adding the chicken, but that is optional.
• Boil shrimp for 1 minute until they turn orange. Remove from boiling water and set aside. Add chicken and cook for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Internal temperature should be 165F for chicken and 145F for pork.
• At the same time, you can wash and chop the herbs and cut the lotus rootlets into smaller pieces.
• Cut the shrimp in halves and cut chicken into smaller pieces.
• In a large bowl, add half of the sauce. Then add chicken, shrimp, and lotus rootlets. Toss and add salt and pepper if desired.
• Add the pickled daikon and carrots and herbs. Add additional dressing/sauce as needed. Toss well.
• Finish with a squeeze of lime. Garnish with fried red onion and crush roasted peanuts.