Yeon-geun-jorim (연근조림)

Braised lotus root is one of those banchan that looks like candy and eats like a side dish. The lotus root slices come out of the braising liquid dark, glossy, and slightly translucent, with a texture that is simultaneously chewy and crisp, like nothing else in the vegetable kingdom. The holes in each slice fill with the reduced sauce, creating little wells of flavor.

The technique starts with a vinegar pre-boil that removes starch and bitterness from the raw lotus root. Then the slices stir-fry briefly in oil before being covered with water, soy sauce, and garlic and braised on low heat for forty minutes. Rice syrup goes in next for another twenty minutes of covered cooking, which gives the lotus roots their characteristic sticky sweetness. The final step is uncovering and reducing the sauce on medium-high heat until it thickens into a dark, glossy glaze that coats each slice.

Lotus root is available at Korean, Chinese, and Japanese grocery stores, fresh or frozen. Fresh is preferred but frozen works well. Pre-sliced lotus root in liquid is also available, just make sure the slices are at least a quarter inch thick. The finished banchan keeps for about a week in the fridge and is one of those side dishes that improves over the first few days as the sauce continues to penetrate.