Japan · 30 min · Vegan · Side dish · For beginners
Kinpira Gobō
In German: Geschmorte Schwarzwurzel · In English: Braised burdock root
For 3 servings · US units
Burdock root and carrot in soy sauce and mirin, finished with toasted sesame
Kinpira Gobō is a classic Japanese dish built on four staple seasonings — soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar — sweet and savoury at once, with the earthy bite of burdock root running through it. The seasoning follows a fixed ratio often called the "golden ratio": roughly 2:1:1:1 soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. It shows up as an everyday side dish, goes cold into a bentō box, and with browned ground pork stirred in it becomes a main course.
Ingredients
- 5¼ ozScrape skin off with the back of a knife, cut into fine matchsticks or shavings, soak briefly in waterThe long, slender root of the greater burdock plant, brown outside and pale inside, with an earthy, faintly sweet flavour and a firm, fibrous texture.Substitute: The closest match is salsify, which has a similar earthy taste, browns just as quickly and has a comparable shape, but is softer and milder and cooks faster. Parsnip or parsley root capture the sweetness but not the fibrous bite or the astringent, woodsy flavour, so the dish turns out softer and sweeter.Read more
- 2½ ozcarrotcut into matchsticks the same size as the burdock
- 1 tbspfor stir-fryingOil pressed from toasted sesame seeds, dark and strongly nutty, used by the drop as a seasoning.Substitute: There is no equivalent substitute; at a pinch, steep freshly toasted, crushed sesame seeds in a little neutral oil, which gives the roasted aroma only faintly and without the depth of the oil.Read more
- 2 tbspsoy saucefor the seasoning mix
- 1½ tbspfor the seasoning mixSweet Japanese rice wine for cooking that gives sauces and glazes a mild sweetness and shine.Substitute: Sake or dry sherry with some sugar, about one teaspoon per tablespoon, comes close; sweetness and shine are roughly right, but the rounded, slightly malty depth of mirin is missing.Read more
- 1 tbspsugarfor the sweet-savoury balance
- 1 tbspfor the seasoning mixJapanese rice wine, used in cooking mainly to round out flavours, tame fishy notes and add umami.Substitute: Dry sherry or Chinese Shaoxing wine come closest but bring their own stronger flavour; mirin is not a substitute because it is distinctly sweet.Read more
- 1 tbspsesame seedstoasted, mixed in or sprinkled at the end
- 1Dried red chili peppersliced, infused in the oil (optional)
- 3⅓ tbspwaterto soften the vegetables before seasoning (optional)
- 10½ ozGround porkstir-fried first, turns the side dish into a main (optional)
Method
- Peel and cut the burdockScrape the skin off the burdock root with the back of a knife, then cut the root into fine matchsticks or thin shavings.
- Soak the burdockPut the cut burdock into cold water for a few minutes, then drain it well.
- Cut the carrotCut the carrot into matchsticks the same size as the burdock so both cook evenly.
- Mix the seasoningStir the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake together in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
- Heat oil and chiliHeat the sesame oil in a pan and, if using, let the sliced dried chili sizzle in it briefly, until it smells fragrant.
- Stir-fry the vegetablesAdd the burdock and carrot and stir-fry for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Simmer down the seasoningPour in the seasoning mix and let it simmer over medium heat until the liquid has almost completely cooked away.
- Finish with sesame seedsTake the pan off the heat and stir in the toasted sesame seeds, or scatter them over the top.
Tips and variations
Instead of matchsticks, you can cut the burdock sasagaki-style, shaving it into thin slivers as if sharpening a pencil; grating the carrot saves time. If you like the vegetables softer, add 50 ml water and let everything cook covered until the liquid is gone. Made with only sake, soy sauce and mirin, without sugar, the result is sharper and less sweet. Serve Kinpira Gobō warm or cooled as a side dish — or brown some ground pork first, and it stands on its own as a main.
Allergens
Contains: Cereals containing gluten, Sesame, Soybeans
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
