Kinpira Gobo (braised Burdock Root)

Submitted by Akikobay

"Honestly, I'm not sure I even expect anybody to try this, but it's one of my favorite side vegies. Gobo (burdock root) is really high in fiber and is a bit like tofu in that it takes on the flavor of whatever you happen to cook it with. Don't skip the soaking. Gobo does stain your fingers when you handle it, so you might want to use gloves if you are planning to go out after dinner. Preparation time includes soaking time for the burdock root, but not the time to peel and julienne the burdock root. It takes my mom about 3 minutes, it takes me longer."

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb burdock root
• 1⁄4 lb carrot
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon sake (don't substitute)
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

directions

1. Peel the burdock root and julienne it (matchstick size) into very thin strips.
2. Soak the burdock matchsticks in water for 30 minutes and drain well.
3. While the burdock is soaking, peel the carrot and julienne it into matchsticks of a similar size as the burdock root.
4. Put vegetable oil in a frying pan and put it on high heat.
5. Add burdock sticks and fry for a couple minutes.
6. Add carrot sticks in the hot pan and fry for one to two minutes, moving the vegetables around constantly.
7. Add all remaining ingredients in the pan and stir well.
8. Remove from heat and serve!

Reviews

[mikewinsc]

I discovered gobo last week at a local Japanese market and I had to use it. I just love discovering new ingredients. I found this kinpira recipe and others and I picked this recipe as the one to showcase Japan as we are cooking around the world with 2 friends right now: http://www.196flavors.com/2013/02/19/japan-gobo-kinpira/<br/><br/>I paired it with mackerel, white rice with furikake and... sake of course!

 

[Roosie]

Yum. We have made this many times and for some reason I keep neglecting to review it. I love the dark, earthy flavor of burdock, and like Nose, I don't peel it. I feel that it gives it better flavor and that's where most of the nutrients are anyhow. The soaking tip is a very good one. We've also made this a couple of times with chicken, pork or tofu added to make it a main dish. Yummy!

 

[Nose5775]

This is really delicious. I don't know that it tastes like anything else I can think of. It's dark and rich like sauteed mushrooms or steak, yet a bit crunchy. I am glad you posted this, because the grocery store nearest me is Korean, and I've been seeing long brown "gobo roots" in there for years and wondering, "What is that? Is it really edible? How do I cook it? Am I missing out?" I was missing out, until today. I did find another recipe that said it was OK not to peel it, so I didn't. Be very careful with this: you keep adding damp vegetables and various liquids to hot oil, and it tends to spatter. In any case, yum.

 

[Alice C.]

It's time to try to fix this myself-my mom is from Japan and usually fixes this whenever I ask-lol She is going to be 89 this year so maybe I should fix it for her!

 

[nrmdmcg]

The local co-op has burdock root at the moment, so I brought sushi home from last night, and made this as a side for the wife. I liked it, but she LOVED it. <br/><br/>Thanks for sharing this. We have burdock growing wild in the back yard (tough stuff to get rid of), so I think we'll be doing quite a bit of this next summer.