How do you prepare yours?
I generally like to blanch them in some water (with a bit of added vinegar), and then toss with rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, white pepper, minced ginger and diced garlic, and then a squirt of sesame oil and garnish with a handful of bonito flakes right after plating. And before eating.
My favorite preparation is to heat up a pickling liquid with rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, sake, water, kombu, and julienned ginger. I let it come to room temperature and remove the kombu. Then I add in the lotus root. It’s also good with slices of carrot and yamaimo/nagaimo - that is if you don’t mind the slightly slimy texture. I’m a big fan of what the Japanese refer to as neba neba - gooey textures in food.
No. If it’s in a bowl it’s because I’m dumping food in a bowl so I can eat quickly and non-messily. I wouldn’t consider it “plated,” by any means.