Kinpira Gobo Recipe: 3 Tips for Making Kinpira Gobo

Gobo is the Japanese name for burdock root, the long skinny edible taproot of the burdock plant with a bittersweet, earthy flavor and chewy, crunchy texture when cooked. In Japanese cuisine, gobo is typically featured in salads and soups, like miso or ramen, or sautéed with roast vegetables.

Kinpira gobo is a popular Japanese side dish or appetizer consisting of burdock root and carrot stir-fried in a braising liquid. The side dish is often included in bento boxes or served alongside miso soup.

The term “kinpira” refers to a quick stir-fry followed by a simmer in a braising liquid. Kinpira gobo applies this technique to slivers of shredded carrot and burdock root, stir-fried in sesame oil until tender, then simmered in a salty-sweet mixture of soy sauce and mirin, and topped with toasted sesame seeds.

You can find fresh burdock root in Asian grocery stores, but you can also use similar ingredients, like lotus root (renkon) or parsnips, to make the dish. Here are a few helpful tips:

1. 1. Soak the gobo before cooking. Raw gobo has a bitterness or astringency. To ensure the root doesn’t feature too strongly in the final dish, soak the peeled, cut strips before cooking.
2. 2. Start with a stir-fry. To ensure both the gobo—which has a firmer, tougher texture—and carrot cook to a similar consistency, stir-fry the gobo strips for a few minutes before adding the carrot, which will cook faster.
3. 3. Julienne the vegetables. Grating the carrot might be faster than using the julienne technique. Kinpira gobo is best when both ingredients are cut into uniform strips—grated carrots will only turn soggy during cooking.