Gobō (Burdock Root) is a very popular vegetable in Japan, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to find where I live. I have seen Frozen Sliced Gobō many years ago at an Asian grocery store, and that was the only time I saw Gobō in Australia. Then, I decided to grow them in my vegetable garden. After the extreme weather in this summer, I had a rather poor harvest. Even the best ones were very thin, but I could taste Gobō for the first time in more than ten years.
Makes
4 Servings
Ingredients
200g Chicken Thigh Fillets *cut into small pieces
100g Gobō (Burdock Root)
1 small piece Ginger *sliced into fine strips
100 to 150g Shimeji
1 to 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil OR Vegetable Oil
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Sake (Rice Wine)
1 tablespoon Mirin
2 cups (*180ml cup) Japanese Short Grain Rice
Water
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Spring Onion *finely chopped
Method
- Wash Gobō and use the back of a knife to scrape Gobō skin off. Do not remove too much skin. Thinly slice it diagonally, OR the common technic to slice Gobō is to shave it as if you were sharpening a pencil with a knife.
- Place the sliced Gobō in cold water and set aside for a while. Unpleasant taste will come out and water will turn slightly brown. Drain well.
- Heat Oil in a frying pan over medium heat, cook Chicken, Gobō, Ginger and Shimeji for a few minutes. Add Soy Sauce, Sake (Rice Wine) and Mirin, and cook for 1 minute and remove from the heat.
- Wash Rice by stirring it thoroughly in water with your hand and drain the water. Repeat this a few more times until water flows through clear.
- Place it into the rice cooker’s inner pot and add the liquid from Chicken, Gobō and Shimeji mixture. Add Water up to the 2-cups-marking. Sprinkle with Salt, and spread Chicken, Gobō and Shimeji on top, but do not stir.
- Press ‘COOK’ button to start cooking. When the rice is cooked, let it steamed for 10 minutes. Then loosen and mix gently.
- Sprinkle with some finely chopped Spring Onion and enjoy.
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