Air-fried lotus root & dace fish cakes with black rice
Dace fish cakes studded with crunchy lotus root and chewy wood-ear, air-fried with little oil, with black rice — make them the night before.
- 1 hr
- Serves 2
- Air-fry
- Medium
Why it suits you: Blood Stasis needs warmth and gentle movement. Lotus root disperses stasis, wood-ear and onion help circulation, warming black rice and ginger keep things moving, and a dip of vinegar helps too. Air-frying keeps it light, and it is warming enough for an air-conditioned office.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 40 min- 1Soak the black rice for 1 hour (soak it in the morning and keep in the fridge). Rinse with the white rice, add water to the usual line plus 50 ml, and cook in the rice cooker.
- 2Soak the wood-ear until soft and chop finely. Peel the lotus root, cut into small dice and pat dry with kitchen paper. Finely dice the onion.
- 3Mix the fish paste with the lotus root, wood-ear, onion, ginger and cornflour, stirring in one direction until sticky and springy.
- 4With wet hands shape into 8 flat cakes, brush with a little oil and air-fry at 190°C for 12 minutes, turning halfway, until golden on both sides.
- 5Serve with the black rice and vinegar for dipping. As a lunchbox, microwave for 2 minutes the next day — the lotus root stays crunchy.
Cautions
- On blood thinners such as warfarin? Keep wood-ear to a small amount and check with your doctor first.
Chef's tips
- Ready-made dace paste from the wet-market fish stall is usually seasoned already, so no extra salt is needed.
- No air fryer? Pan-fry in a non-stick pan with a little oil over low heat, about 4 minutes a side.
The TCM view
Lotus root is sweet and cool, turning neutral when cooked; it disperses stasis and supports digestion. Wood-ear is sweet and neutral and nourishes the blood vessels; onion is pungent and warm and moves qi; dace is sweet and neutral, strengthens the spleen and moves blood; black rice is sweet and warm; vinegar is sour and warm and disperses stasis. Gently warming and moving, neither cold nor greasy.
