Peel the outside off of the lotus root. Using a mandolin, slice the lotus root very thinly, approximately 1/8 of an inch thick. Place Canola oil in a small sauce pot. Using a kitchen thermometer to gauge the temperature, bring the oil up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place lotus root into the oil and cook until floating, and evenly golden brown, flipping two or three times throughout the cooking process. Remove from the oil and pat dry on paper towel. Let cool. Season and sear the tenderloin tail at high heat, nicely browning the outside evenly.
To make the sauce, using only the green of the green onion, slice it half lengthwise, then slice into very thin strips , lengthwise, then turn and dice as small as possible. Take the finally diced, or rasped ginger, combine with soya sauce and sesame oil and a ½ teaspoon of the finely diced green onion. Stir, consistency should be similar to salsa.
Plating: Place the lotus root chip in center of plate. Very thinly slice the rare to blue beef tenderloin, and place two small shavings of beef upon the lotus chip. Using a small fork, place a dollop of the green onion and ginger mixture, on top of the beef. Eat and Enjoy!
This innovative appetizer begins with an ingredient many are not familiar with: Lotus root. This is actually the rhizome (a bulky, meaty root, similar in look to ginger root) of the lotus plant, which looks similar to a water lily. These rhizomes are often used in Asian soups and deep-frying. In this recipe, they are deep fried, giving them a potato chip-like crispiness. Lotus root is available fresh in the autumn, or packaged in water and salt at other times of the year.
Two tools will come in handy when making this appetizer: A mandolin and a rasp. Mandolins make slicing not only faster, but perfectly even. A rasp is more commonly known as a zester in the United States; it is a very fine food grater, often used on citrus peels. Use both these tools to make preparation quicker and simplier.