Kinpira Gobo
Burdock root is known as “gobo” in Japan. Properly prepared, it is crunchy, sweet, and earthy.
Ingredients:
1 burdock root (approx. 400 g)
2 large carrot (200 g)
1 dry chili pepper (optional)
For the Kinpira Sauce:
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1 tablespoon tsuyu sauce/soup base*
1 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
* Recipe follows at the end
Instructions:
1. Wash the burdock root (gobo) thoroughly and gently scrape off the skin using the back of a knife.
2. Cut the gobo into thin diagonal slices and then each slice into thin strips (julienne). They should be about 2-3 inches long. Or, using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife, shave off thin pieces of the root, working up the root as you shave.
3. Soak the cut gobo in a bowl of cold water with a tablespoon of vinegar for 5 minutes.
4. Peel and julienne the carrot; the pieces should be the same size as the gobo.
5. Deseed the dried chili and thinly slice.
Make Kimpira sauce:
6. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, 1 tablespoon tsuyu sauce, 1 tablespoon sake and 1 tablespoon light brown sugar.
7. Heat a pan on medium high and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.
8. Add the dry chili to the pan and sauté until fragrant.
9. Add the carrot and gobo and sauté for a few minutes until slightly softened.
10. Pour in the bowl of sauce from step 6 and turn the heat up to high. Sauté, stirring, until the liquid is reduced.
11. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce and sauté until reduced.
12. Finally add 1 tablespoon mirin and stir fry everything together until all the sauce is reduced completely.
13. Turn off the heat, add 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and mix well.
14. Serve alongside a Japanese set meal or in a bento box, or just enjoy as a side vegetable.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 1 week.
Tsuyu Sauce/Soup Base:
NOTE: the tsuyu sauce may be omitted but the recipe will be more flavorful with its addition. The sauce makes a good soup base for miso or other Japanese soups.
Ingredients:
1 cup soy sauce (dark soy sauce will provide a richer flavor than light soy sauce)
1 cup mirin
½ cup sake
1 piece kombu kelp
⅓ cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (substitute shiitake mushrooms to make this recipe vegan)
Directions:
1. Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, kombu, and katsuobushi in a large saucepan. Adjust the stove to medium-high heat and bring the stock to a boil.
2. Once it has reached a boil, reduce the heat to low and let the tsuyu simmer for 5–7 minutes. The soup base should thicken slightly.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the sauce using a fine mesh strainer to remove the kombu and katsuobushi.
4. Let the tsuyu sauce cool before using it in other recipes or storing it in the refrigerator. The tsuyu will stay fresh for a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
