Mustard lotus root

Japanese: からしれんこん

This unique dish is made by stuffing the holes in lotus root with mustard miso and deep frying it. It is said to have been invented in the Edo period for the sickly lord of Kumamoto, Hosokawa Tadatoshi, by focusing on the high-quality lotus roots harvested in the Shirakawa River basin that flows down from Aso, and it became a closely guarded dish because the cut surface resembles the Hosokawa family crest. The lotus root is boiled, then stood upright, and mustard miso is stuffed into the holes, which are then coated with a batter of wheat flour and soybean flour and deep-fried to finish. Today, it is a local dish enjoyed by the common people and is an indispensable part of the cuisine for annual events and ceremonial occasions throughout Kumamoto Prefecture.

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

蓮根（レンコン）の穴にからし味噌を詰めて揚げた，他に類を見ない独特の逸品。江戸時代，病弱だった熊本藩主・細川忠利のために，阿蘇から流れ下る白川流域で採れる良質なレンコンに着目して考案されたといわれ，切り口が細川氏家紋に似ることから門外不出の料理ともなった。レンコンをゆで，それを立てた上でからし味噌を穴に突き詰め，小麦粉と豆粉によるころもをつけて揚げ，仕上げてゆく。今では庶民の味として，熊本県内各地の年中行事や冠婚葬祭の料理には不可欠な郷土料理である。

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