Yield – 3 Cups

Prep time – 15 mins Cooking time – 30 mins

Moju and Pickles are well-known condiments in Sri Lankan cuisine. Moju is made after deep frying the vegetable and pickle is made with vegetables boiled in vinegar. When it comes to Moju, Eggplant aka “Wambatu Moju” plays a huge role in Sri Lankan condiments and it’s an essential side of Sri Lankan “Lamprais”.

I know Lotus Roots Moju sounds unusual to you as we always make lotus root as a curry. Since creating new recipes with underrated ingredients is in my department and seeing lotus roots on sale made me create this amazing recipe. This golden orange Moju looks like a pineapple pickle from its appearance and it tastes like stir-fried potato. Not to mention it’s spicy as it looks, therefore perfect to pair up with a steamy plate of rice or even as a side in a new version of Lamprais with other curries of your choice.

If you are wondering about the benefits of lotus roots, let me quickly mention some of them in brief here. Lotus roots are high in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. It also helps in stress management and blood circulation plus preventing allergies and infections. Since these roots have a cooling property, it’s a perfect vegetable for summer. According to research, it’s high in protein, therefore a good meat substitute for vegans and vegetarians as well.

What do you need:

3 1/2 cups lotus roots, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 1/3 cups coconut oil, divided
2 cardamom pods, crushed
3 cloves
1cinnamon stick (1-inch size)
1 teaspoon ginger, crushed
1 teaspoon garlic, crushed
2 pandan leaves (1-inch size)
1 tablespoon curry leaves, whole
3/4 cup red onion, cut into cubes
1/2 cup capsicum/jalapeno pepper, deseed and cut into cubes

For the sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons coconut vinegar

Let’s make it:

Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon salt to lotus roots, and massage them with your fingers.
Marinate the mixture for 5 – 10 minutes and in the meantime prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Take a dry pan and add about 1 1/4 cups of oil and let it heat for about 2 minutes on high heat.
When it’s ready, carefully add a portion of the roots and fry them until golden brown/slightly pink for 6 -8 minutes on medium to high heat.
Keep them aside on a paper towel to remove the excess oil.
In the meantime, add all the sauce ingredients, remaining 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1 teaspoon salt in a separate bowl and mix it.
Take a separate dry pan/pot and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
Heat it on low to medium for about 2 minutes.
Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and garlic, and saute for 1 – 2 minutes on low heat until golden brown.
Add pandan leaves, curry leaves and saute for another minute.
Add onion and capsicum and saute for 2 – 3 minutes until golden brown.
Then add the sauce and fried lotus roots to the mixture.
Give it a good mix until everything combines and cook for another 2 minutes.
Turn off the flame and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
You can serve this with some rice or store it in the fridge using an air-tight glass container until further use.

Tips for you:

Slice the peeled roots before washing and make sure to slice them as thinly as possible.
Wash them 2 – 3 times until the water runs clear.
Instead of coconut oil, feel free to use canola or sunflower oil.
Use a deep pan for frying.
When adding oil for frying, make sure to keep 2 tablespoons of oil aside for the rest of the cooking.
When frying, don’t add the entire mixture at once as it can prevent even cooking. Therefore, roughly divide the mixture as per the size of your pan and add portion-wise for frying.
Use a clay pot and non-metal spoon (coconut or silicon) for making this Moju, to prevent any chemical reaction.
Make sure to stir the mixture in between to prevent burning and facilitate even cooking.