Foraging in the city- Part 3 Cooking Burdock

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My Favourite Way to Eat Burdock Root

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The one dish that has made weeds into a staple for me has been Kinpira. So delicious and nutritious, I could eat Kinpira every day! A simpler method of eating Burdock root is to cut it the same as this recipe and add it to soup and boil until tender.
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##Thats one long root, thirty-four inches!

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To find Burdock you can check out
Part 1 Burdock-The Harvest

or for buying Burdock
Part 2 Burdock or Gobo at the store

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When purchasing Burdock root it pays to know how it's referred to in Asia , Gobo .
When bought in Asian stores it's quite inexpensive costing two to three dollars whereas when I have seen it for sale in organic stores it was eight dollars a pound! No wonder the trouble I went through trying to harvest even one root made me appreciate the high price of wild-crafted Burdock root.
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For this recipe you will need,

  • some Burdock or Gobo,
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Whole cane sugar,
  • Soy sauce,
  • Dashi ( Japanese soup stock based on bonito),
  • Some cooking oil,
  • Carrots,
  • Sesame oil,
  • And finally sesame seeds,
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Preparing the Burdock

Give the root a good scrub and then you are ready to peel it.
To peel it take the back of your kitchen knife and scrape towards yourself until the brown skin is removed. To make my life easier I purchased a special peeler designed for Burdock but a regular carrot peeler works just as good.

Cut into Manageable Size

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Traditional Back of the Knife Method

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Special Gobo Peeler

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Done the Peeling

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Now the Carrots

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Next you can either julienne the root or cut it like your sharpening a
pencil. for those who prefer a milder taste the Burdock can be soaked in cold water and vinegar for twenty minutes. To make it even milder you can change the water a couple times.
Next you fry the prepared burdock in hot oil after frying for a bit you can add julienned carrots and chilis . Fry until crispy next add water and sugar and let cook for a minute. Then add soy sauce, Dashi a nice touch would be liquid smoke and or mirin. The more water that you add the softer the root root will be. When I want it crispy I pay more attention to chopping it finely and add lees water. After adding the liquid and bringing it to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer until all the liquid evaporates.
Once the Burdock is cooked to the desired consistency add a small amount of the sesame oil.You can add sesame seeds and your ready to enjoy a dish that is delicious as it is healthy

Julienne the Burdock

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Whittling the Burdock Like Sharpening a Pencil

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This is the easiest way of cutting Burdock and therefore my favourite!

Pour Apple Cider Vinegar into Bowl of Water

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Add Burdock and Soak for Twenty Minutes

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This is the Root I Harvested Before Peeling

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And After Peeling

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Chopped!

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Drain and Fry

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Add Carrot

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Fry It for a Bit

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Add Water

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Add Sugar and Let simmer for a bit

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After Add the Soy Sauce and Dashi

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Partially Cover and Simmer Until all Liquid Evaporates

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Tengu-San Approves!

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Once Liquid is Gone and Burdock Tender Enough Add Sesame Oil

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Sesame Seeds and done!

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I hope you try and enjoy as much as I do!

%100 my pictures and writing

Preceding Articles
Part 1 Burdock-The Harvest

Part 2 Burdock or Gobo at the store

Foraging in the city- Part 3 Cooking Burdock | Ecency