Kinpira Gobo - Japanese Burdock

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I stumbled on burdock quite by accident. While looking for celeriac in the produce section of my market, I found a stash of dirt encrusted roots that were about 18 inches long. I was intrigued enough to do some research, and learned that what had aroused my curiosity was actually the edible taproot of a plant belonging to the thistle family. While I had never seen it before, the root, called burdock, is popular throughout Asia, where it is still eaten and also used for medicinal purposes. Armed with that basic information, I went ahead and did an extensive search for ways in which to cook it. Strangely, there were few to be found and I found myself dealing with multiple occurrences of the same recipe. I really wanted to try this, but I wanted to get it right first time at bat. The roots were $9 a pound and that didn't leave much room for experimentation. A larger concern was how few of the roots the store actually had in stock. I went back and bought a pound which effectively delpleated their supply. Once home, I decided to use the recipe supplied by a group of expats living in Japan. They have a wonderful site called Tokyo Work Life where, among other things, they maintain a collection of Japanese recipes which you can find here. Their recipe differed from the others in that they used a hot dried chili, rather than miso, to flavor the dish that is called kinpira gobo. Their version of gobo is also cooked in dark sesame oil, rather than being sprinkled with sesame seeds before serving. The first task was to clean and peel the roots. A good scrub with a vegetable brush took care of the encrusted dirt and I used the dull edge of a knife to peel the burdock. A peeler would have removed too much of the flesh. I did cheat a bit with the next step. The recipe called for cutting the roots into a very thin julienne. I used a julienne peeler to do this, so I ended up with lovely, but long, strips of burdock that would be difficult to eat with chopsticks. In a perfect world, the strips would have been cut to a uniform julienne about 2 inches long and 1/16 of an inch wide. I quickly learned that the strips need to go into cold water once they're cut to prevent them from turning black. Soaking in water helps to remove the minerals that cause oxidation to occur. I let mine sit for about 30 minutes in several changes of water. Burdock has a deep earthy flavor, like that of wild mushrooms, but it has a very fibrous texture that can be stringy if you don't cook it correctly or long enough. "Kinpira" describes a dish that is both sauteed and braised. The dual process produces a vegetable that is slightly fibrous and crunchy rather than tough. In Japan this is served as an accompaniment to a main course and rice. It is surprisingly pleasant. If you like to experiment and are in the market for something different, be fearless and give this a try. Here's the recipe.

Kinpira Gobo...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Tokyo Work Life

Ingredients:
1 pound burdock root, peeled and julienned
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1-1/2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons mirin( rice wine)
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Peel and julienne burdock and carrot into 2-inch matchsticks. Soak in several changes of water for 30 minutes to remove excess minerals that would could cause oxidation. Drain well.
2) Heat pan or wok until hot. Add sesame oil, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and pepper flakes to pan. Add drained burdock and carrots to pan and saute/stir-fry for about 6 minutes stirring constantly. Add tamari, mirin and 3 tablespoons water to pan. Toss. Lower heat and cook, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes longer depending on how crunchy you like your vegetables. Serve warm with rice: Yield: 4 servings.

You might also like these recipes:
Kinpira Gobo - No Recipes
Cooking with Gobo - Edible Earthscapes
How to Make Kinpira Gobo - Eating Japan
Kinpira - Umami: What's for Dinner?
Kinpira Gobo - mmm-yoso!!!

This recipe is being linked to Regional Recipes - Japan, sponsored by Joanne of Eats Well with Others

Tonkatsu

Click on photograph for full view of tonkatsu platter.

Tonkatsu, a Japanglish word that describes a western-style pork cutlet, is one of my all-time favorite foods. Ton is the Japanese word for pig and katsu loosely means cutlet. The Japanese call western-style Japanese dishes yohshoku. Before retirement I worked for a multinational company whose cafeteria had a section devoted to Japanese food, so I'm no stranger to yohshoku. Every tenth day tonkatsu would appear on the menu and I'd be at the head of the line to claim a portion before it wilted on the steam table. I don't make this often and because it's a rare treat I've made some changes to the recipe to guarantee that it will be moist and flavorful every single time it comes to my table. The secret is brining. The technique is not Japanese and while it lacks authenticity and adds time to preparation, it's worth the effort because it keeps the pork moist. Tonkatsu is traditionally served with plain, shredded cabbage and a commercial sauce. Plain cabbage is not appealing to all palates so I toss it with a light Asian dressing just before serving and, while I can buy tonkatsu sauce, I prefer to make my own. Panko may be trendy but it absolutely necessary for breading tonkatsu. Standard Italian-style bread crumbs just won't give the crunch that adds texture to this dish.

Tonkatsu

Ingredients:
Brine:
3 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
3 cups water
4 boned pork chops or cutlets, tenderized with a jaccard and pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
Cabbage Slaw:
1 small head Napa cabbage
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Tonkatsu Sauce:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons catsup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water
1 to 2 cups panko
Peanut oil for deep frying

Directions:
1) To make brine, combine salt, brown sugar, oil, vinegar, rosemary, pepper and water in a small bowl; whisk until sugar is dissolved. Pour brine into a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add pork and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours before cooking.
2) To make slaw, finely shred cabbage. Set aside. Combine sugar, salad oil, salt, pepper and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
3) To make tonkatsu sauce, combine sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and catsup in a small bowl; whisk to combine. Set aside.
3) To prepare pork, remove from brine and pat dry. Preheat oil to 350 to 375 degrees F. Add salt and pepper to flour. Dust pork with flour, dip into beaten eggs, than into bread crumbs. Fry, two at a time, in at least 1-inch of oil, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Drain on paper towelling.
4) To serve, toss cabbage with reserved dressing. Spoon a portion onto four individual plates. Top with a cutlet. Serve with tonkatsu sauce. Yield: 4 servings.

This entry is being sent to Wandering Chopsticks who is hosting the November Regional Recipes Round-Up Japan which is sponsored by Darlene at Blazing Hot Wok.