Metric:
1 Gobo or Burdock Root
( Sasagaki cut )
1 Carrot
( thinly cut )
55gr Dashi
( or Water )
37gr Soy Sauce
15gr Mirin
15gr Oil
15gr Sake
15gr Sesame Seeds
15gr Sugar
Shichimi Togarashi
( Red Hot Pepper )
TRADITIONAL JAPANESE RECIPE: Kinpira Gobo is braised burdock root and carrot in a sweet and salty sauce. This is another mom’s home cooking kind of dish, not something you usually find in restaurants in Japan, but you might be familiar with it since it’s typically served in bento box from Japanese markets.
The name Kinpira comes from the legendary muscleman, and that shows how nutritious the dish really is. Kinpira Gobo is a great side dish you can make ahead. These strongly seasoned vegetables can be kept in the fridge up to a week. It’s perfect for lunch and busy weekday dinners when you want one more thing for the menu.
It’s really easy to cook if you have all the ingredients (and these are very common ingredients for Japanese household). The most tedious part is that you have to julienne both gobo (burdock root) and carrot, and if you are not used to chopping veggies, it might be challenging (but of course you don’t have to be so precise).
Gobo is burdock root and a very popular vegetable in Japan. It is hard and looks like a tree root, but it gets quite soft when cooked and then it has a mild but distinct flavor. Though Gobo doesn’t contain very many vitamins, it has a lot of fiber and minerals.
Kinpira means a cooking style that you stir fry and simmer with sugar and soy sauce. The most common ingredients used for Kinpira is gobo and carrot, but lotus root is another common ingredient for this cooking style.
Skill Level:  |
Time: 45 Minutes |
Price:  |
Serves: 4 People |
Ingredients:
| Conversions |
Directions:
01 - Cut all the vegetables thinly.
02 - Let the Gobo pieces soak in water as you cut to remove the Gobo's harshness. Leave for 5-10 minutes, and strain.
03 - Put the Oil in a frying pan and heat at medium high heat.
04 - Cook the Gobo for a couple of minutes and add the Carrot. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
05 - Add Dashi, Soy Sauce, Sugar, Sake, and Mirin, and cook until the liquid has almost all gone.
06 - Add Sesame Seeds and stir. Serve with Shichimi Pepper.
Notes:
- Sasagaki ( ささがき ) is when you shave gobo roots like how you sharpen a pencil with a knife. Shave off the gobo skin with the back of a knife. Make a lengthwise cross-shape incision about 3.8cm / 1.5in deep at one end. Cut it from that end as if you were sharpening a pencil while constantly rotating with the other hand. Soak in the water or vinegar water to prevent from changing color.
- While Gobo and carrot are the main ingredients, you could add things like Konnyaku, lotus root, and even meat like beef or chicken.
- You can also spice up the dish with thinly sliced dried red chili pepper.
- Some people sweeten more, and others may not use much sugar at all. Adjust the seasonings and ingredients to your liking.
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| Written by: Uncut Recipes | Disclaimer |
December 29, 2019
I’ve made this a couple times and it always turns out fantastic. Thanks!