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Kinpira Gobo Recipe きんぴらごぼう

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Kinpira Gobo Recipe | JustOneCookbook.com

Thank you everyone for the kind comments and wonderful suggestions on my 1st Blogiversary Giveaway post and I wish you all good luck.  In case you have missed the post, you can still enter to win the giveaway ($50/$25/$25 gift card) until the 15th.  Please read the details on the giveaway post.

Also, some of you might have realized that this post is published on Thursday.  This year I decided to publish two posts a week on Mondays and Thursdays.  As a part of my new year resolution, I am trying to be a little more healthy by going to bed early and spending my free time for exercise instead of sitting in front of computer!  I hope this will help me improve my lifestyle and become healthier.  Have you made any new year resolution?

Kinpira Gobo II
My mom is visiting till Sunday so my day’s occupied by taking her to fabric stores (she’s a quilter and teaches quilting in Japan) and shopping between my kids’ school and extracurricular activities, so please forgive me with my slower than usual response to your emails and questions.  I promise I will get to them as soon as I can.

It looks like a lot of food bloggers are sharing healthy meals and recipes in January to help people lose those holiday pounds (which I also need help with).  I had received a lot of requests for vegetable dishes so I’ll be sharing a popular Japanese veggie dish today.

Kinpira Gobo is a traditional Japanese dish often enjoyed at home and you might be familiar with it since it’s typically served in bento box from Japanese markets.  It’s really easy to cook if you have all the ingredients (and these are very common ingredients for Japanese household).  The most tedious part is that you have to julienne both gobo (burdock root) and carrot, and if you are not used to chopping veggies, it might be challenging (but of course you don’t have to be so precise).  Kinpira means a cooking style that you stir fry and simmer with sugar and soy sauce.  The most common ingredients used for Kinpira is gobo and carrot, but lotus root is another common ingredient for this cooking style.  My recipe is a very simple one which children can enjoy.  It’s optional to add chili to make this dish spicy which also tastes really delicious.

Kinpira Gobo III

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Kinpira Gobo (Braised Carrot & Burdock Root)
Kinpira Gobo
Print
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Servings: 4 as side dish
Ingredients
Seasonings:
Instructions

  1. Gather all the ingredients.

    Kinpira Gobo Ingredients
  2. Peel gobo’s skin with peeler or traditionally we scrape (peel) the skin off with the back of kitchen knife. Then diagonally slice thinly so that each piece is about 2 inch length. Then collect some of the slices and cut into thin matchbox strips. Soak the gobo in water or vinegar water (just one drop of vinegar would do). Change water a couple of times until the water becomes clean. Then leave the gobo in water until you are ready to stir fry.
    Kinpira Gobo 1
  3. Cut carrots into matchbox strips.
  4. In a frying pan, heat oil over medium high and stir fry gobo first. Then add carrot next after you cook gobo for a few minutes.
    Kinpira Gobo 2
  5. Add Seasonings and cook until most of liquid evaporates.
    Kinpira Gobo 3
  6. When the liquid is almost gone, add sesame oil and sprinkle sesame seeds and ichimitogarashi.
    Kinpira Gobo 4
Recipe Notes

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

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  2. I haven’t had this for ages, since the last time I was in Japan in fact, and now it is a few years. I love it, I loved it the first time I had it and the Mum of a friend cooked it for me, but I never made it myself, maybe because when I was leaving in Japan it was so easy to buy it ready in a shop for lunch, even in little boxes from department stores.

    I don’t even know if the fresh roots are available in NZ (or Italy).

    Ciao
    Alessandra

    2
    Reply to Alessandra'> Reply

  9. Definitely eating more veggies and less sweet treats. This veggie dish looks wonderful although it is hard for me to find burdock root. I have to drive to Orlando to my favorite Oriental market. They also have daikon radish which I love and the crispiest bean sprouts ever. Thank and have a pleasant weekend.

    9
    Reply to Suzi'> Reply

  11. Hey Nami! I hope you and your Mom are enjoying the visit! This vegi dish looks good, although I am not a big fan of burdock roots, maybe I am mistaken, but when my Mom made it one time, it tasted slimy to me, and I have not eaten it again…

    I made your Saba Misoni last night, saw some fresh Mackerel at the market and had to buy them. The sauce was amazing! Too bad I forgot about cooking rice so we had to wait to bit before eating the fish, by then they were kind of cold and I imagine less delicious than when they were hot, I will have to be more organized next time!

    Have a great day, excited about your new year’s resolution!

    11
    Reply to Jeno @ Week Nite Meals'> Reply

  14. Burdock root is an item of Japanese cooking I’ve never tasted or remember seeing in grocery stores. It looks like an extra long parsley root or parsnip though the parsley is used more as a flavouring in soups while parsnips can be roasted or boiled and made into something like mashed potatoes. The dish sounds light and healthy for post holiday meals.

    I can relate to your mom’s fabric shopping. When I used to sew and made my own quilt, going into JoAnn Fabrics and looking at all those colourful bolts of material was a lot of fun.

    14
    Reply to A_Boleyn'> Reply

  15. Nami, Despite your busy schedule, shopping with your mom and kids its nice to see you.The dish definitely looks wonderful. I never cooked burdock root.I have seen it in the store but don’t know what to do with it. Your dish seems like a healthy option.

    15
    Reply to balvinder'> Reply

  17. Leola G

    Thank you for posting a wonderful veggie dish. I’ve pretty much adopted a “japanese” way of life when it comes to eating so that I can live and be healthier. I can’t wait to try this as I have not cooked with gobo yet! My only resolution is to be healthier and fortunately I started taking steps toward this goal before the new year. 🙂

    17
    Reply to Leola G'> Reply

  19. Well after my 1st blogiversary, I said to myself that I should spend less time in front of computer, do sports with family and friends, and it worked out quite well. I have to admit, with my busy schedule, I try to blog at least once a week.

    Well, I don’t believe in new year resolution. Statistically, less than 10% will realize their new resolution according to my psychology prof. Eating healthier is something that we have to be conscious all time and we have to makea permanent change in our lifestyle in order to realize it. It has worked for me over the past 2 years.

    I haven’t heard of kinpara, especially burdock roots. Sounds interesting. I’ll send this recipe to my Taiwanese friend.

    Good luck in balancing work/blog and family. It feels good once you get the hang of it.

    19
    Reply to Victor @ Random Cuisine'> Reply

  21. Nami, you have inspired me with your new year’s resolution…I’m debating cutting down on my blogging…it’s so hard to keep up with all the nice comments and I could never stay up like you did!!! So nice to see you back with a yummy recipe… xoxo

    21
    Reply to Liz'> Reply

  28. i have heard of this healthy Burdock Root, but i have no idea how to prepare this. Now I know how to cook this, Thanks for sharing Nami. Ya, about my bowl, this is one of bowl left from my grandmother time, very old and authentic..I seldom use it day to day, only take out to take photo, hehehe..By the way, did you manage to buy some bowls and plates during your trip to Taiwan?

    28
    Reply to Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover'> Reply

  30. This looks so comforting Nami, I have never had kinpira before but I am sure I’ll love this because I am a big fan of stir fried food. Good luck with all your new year resolutions and yeah have a good time with your mom while she is here.. Mom/daughter times are the best! I miss my mom alot when she is away.

    30
    Reply to Zee'> Reply

  34. Lovely dish. I never come across burdock over here, for some reason.
    Excellent news, Nami, life’s too short!! I’ll even forgive you if you don’t reply to my every comment : )
    My sister is a quilter and teacher in Canada – and has even lectured in Japan – amazing!

    34
    Reply to Jenny'> Reply

  38. Chandani

    Thank you for visiting my blog Nami. Congratulations on the first anniversary and after I am done with this comment I am heading there to enter. I only wish I was as good as you in following the resolution. But atleast I will be eating healthy with your yummy recipe.

    39
    Reply to Chandani'> Reply

  39. I don’t know burdock root either – I am wondering what I can substitute. This is just the way I want to eat for January. Chocolate can wait until mid-February! I do make resolutions and I keep them but I never tell what they are! Good for ou for resolving more time away from the computer!y

    40
    Reply to Claudia'> Reply

  40. Nami, how do you manage such a beautiful, perfect presentation? Even if I spent 10 hours I would never obtain such breathtaking results.
    I didn’t know your mum was giving quilting lessons. Impressive! I wonder if there is anything special about Japanese quilting (I’m sure there is!).
    This salad sounds terrific and reminds me I have never tasted burdock root. I know it is sold here in many “ethnic” shops, but somehow I always end up not buying it.
    Although I will miss your three posts the same day as me, I think you have taken a very wise decision. You should also have time to live outside of blogging 😉 and to sleep! (I don’t mention excercising because it makes me feel instantly guilty). Sadly, I haven’t taken any New Year’s resolution. Oh, no, wait! I have one: my first resolution is to take New Year’s resolutions this weekend 🙂

    41
    Reply to Sissi'> Reply

  43. Oooh, it’s burdock? That answers a question about what I’ve seen from time to time in the Japanese store in Paris! I thought it was some sort of radish or something. Thanks for clearing that up for me 🙂 I’d love to come eat at your place Nami – I should think that eating one of your meals would be like eating in some gourmet restaurant – you always make your food look so incredibly delicious and beautiful – this is no exception!

    44
    Reply to Charles'> Reply

  45. Wow – this looks amazing and so pretty! I think finding balance is a great idea, Nami….it’s one of the biggest challenges I think most bloggers face. Best of luck and with your amazing recipes – we’ll ALL lose weight!

    46
    Reply to Ann'> Reply

    • We usually serve Kinpira Gobo as a side dish. We typically serve in a small bowl for each person (Japanese likes to serve meals individually rather than family style). If you serve in typical Japanese way, this amount should be for 3-4 people. But I can eat half servings by myself easily too! 😉

      65
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  55. Welcome back Nami. Glad to know that you had a nice break and spend wonderful time with your family. I just saw some burdock root a few days ago at the supermarket, I wish I have seen this post earlier. Next time I am there, if they are still available I will definitely try this healthy dish out.

    57
    Reply to Quay Po Cooks'> Reply

  56. I have always wanted to try burdock root, but really didn’t know what to do with it. Thanks, I will try it this way! Looks yummy! We always eat a lot of vegetables and I am lucky that my daughter and husband don’t complain…they like veggies too.

    I am glad to hear that you are slowing down on the computer…not that I don’t love reading your posts it’s just I don’t know how everyone posts so often…and I’m talking quality posts here. I post when I can in between my real life. I post what we actually eat, and things we do…so it’s not just for the blog. Of course it could use a lot of work on it’s look, but that all I can do for now. Sorry didn’t mean to babble! It is good you are finding time for yourself and family! I will be here when ever I can! Take care Nami!
    Cheers!
    Lyndsey

    58
    Reply to Lyndsey @The Tiny Skillet'> Reply

  57. I do understand why reducing blogging is one of your new year’s resolutions, it’s a tough job…!! I am also trying not to spend too much time in front of the computer, because it’s really getting quite unhealthy, even though it’s hard, because I do love my computer…;)!!

    This kinpira gobo looks and sounds delicious! I’ve read and heard many times about it but have never tried it myself, I don’t know where to get burdock roots… But I love to see recipes like this, because I want to learn more about Japanese side dishes and pickles. Thanks for sharing this great recipe, Nami :)!

    59
    Reply to Cooking Gallery'> Reply

  59. What a beautify dish, Nami! I have to get some burdock and make this healthy and delicious dish. I am glad to hear you are slowing down a little in the new year. I’ve always wondered how you do it. Even with twice a week, I think you’re a super woman. I just post whenever I can manage one, but it’s still hard on me. It’s so cool your mom teaches quilt. Thanks for introducing my blog to your mom. Please send her my regards.

    61
    Reply to Hyosun Ro'> Reply

  61. This is a lovely recipe Nami. I just saw something like this in a cookbook at the bookstore and was stunned by how pretty and healthy it is. Then I stop by here and your pictures are far superior to the ones I saw in a published cookbook. I’m telling you girl you should be taking photos for a living, they are always stunning. Good for you for getting healthy. I shall be joining you but I will say up front I may cheat from time to time. Lol!

    63
    Reply to Kim Bee'> Reply

  68. Hi Nami-so nice to hear from you. I already started my New Year’s resolution, it’s a good time to start a diet on the first week of the year! I would love to make this healthy and yummy dish…unfortunately we cannot find burdock root here, locally, although I will have to call our local Asian market to see if they carry it, since they do have Asian vegetables, and herbs.
    Glad you were able to spend time with your mom, and your children got to see their grandmother:DDD

    71
    Reply to [email protected]'> Reply

  70. O.K. – now I need to find some burdok root because I know I would love this dish! As suggested, I think a little chile added to it would fit my palette perfectly. Good for you to cut back on your computer and work on your health! You don’t realize how precious good health is until you lose it! My new year’s resolution is very much the same as yours and the same one I make every year – eat right and exercise. This year I have my husband joining me so I might actually be able to keep it. 🙂

    73
    Reply to mjskit'> Reply

  74. Eri

    Hello Nami, I’m definitely trying this one also, it looks so easy, I’ve never tried burdock before! My new years resolutions are already broken haha.. I’m kidding, I wish you good luck! Kisses!

    77
    Reply to Eri'> Reply

  75. What a great idea to start the new year by blogging simple and healthier recipes! I know about kinpira from some of my bentoing friends; yes, they added kinpira to their bento ^^. We don’t have gobo here in Indonesia (even it’s so difficult to find lotus root hehe). I think some modification on the main ingredient with local product will be great. Thanks for sharing this; I want to have kinpira in my bento ^^

    78
    Reply to tatabonita'> Reply

  81. I love your new year resolutions! I never had any before but this year, I told to myself that I’m gonna have at least one new year resolution and that is to sleep early too so that I’m able to perform well for my new schedule (few crazy trips of sending and fetching both girls to and fro sch on every sch days) from this year onward. This is why I’m not as active online as before now. I’m also trying my best to post more posts (most probably after CNY) to my blog and I want to learn baking cakes so that I can make birthday cakes for my girls! They’ve been urging me to learn ASAP since day one when we moved in! LOL 🙂

    I always see burdock roots when I go to the market but never buy any as I don’t know how and what to cook with them. Now I can try cooking this healthy dish if I buy burdock roots on my next marketing trip. 😉

    Let’s work hard together toward our new year resolutions! Happy weekend! 😀

    84
    Reply to Lyn'> Reply

  85. After having such success with your 肉じゃが I was looking around and saw this recipe. Kinpira Gobo is one of the foods I miss most from living in Japan! I was a little overwhelmed by the thought of all those matchstick pieces, but after being so thrilled with your 肉じゃが recipe, I decided to try it. I used a special peeler from the Japanese market to make the cutting a little quicker (I’m accident prone with knives). It got my husband’s seal of approval, too, and I’m so happy to know how to make this now. Thank you again! (I will definitely be going through your site more… hopefully some レンコン recipes, too?) I am happy to be cooking more Japanese food again. (^_^)

    89
    Reply to Cara'> Reply

  89. Betsy Carraway

    Thank you for the wonderful recipe, Nami; I got some fresh gobo last night at Whole Foods and remembered that there was a dish I had loved; looked online, and this is it! Going to make it now. Thanks and God bless you!

    95
    Reply to Betsy Carraway'> Reply

  91. Evelyn

    i tried this yesterday and it was really tasty. I doubled the recipe since the burdock roots came two in a package. Any idea how long it would keep in the fridge as it made a lot? Thanks!

    99
    Reply to Evelyn'> Reply

  93. Karin Leong

    Hi Nami,
    I made kinpira gobo today. It tasted ok but it doesn’t look anything like yours. Mine is kind of blackish and not so appetizing. I cut the gobo the night before but I did soak it in water with vinegar and washed it a few times. I then drained it and kept it in the fridge. The supermarket I went to didn’t have the gobo imported from Japan so I used those imported from China. Is there any difference? Maybe next time I should try to get the gobo from Japan. Any idea how I can improve my kinpira gobo to look like yours?
    Karin

    104
    Reply to Karin Leong'> Reply

    • Hi Karin! I’ve never tried gobo form China, so it’s hard to say… When you kept gobo in the fridge, was gobo still white? Or did it change to dark color? I also want to check if you use Japanese soy sauce. 🙂

      105
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

      • Karin Leong

        Hi Nami Thank you for your reply. The gobo was kind of dark color when I kept it in the fridge. I used Japanese soy sauce but not the light taste ones. I did use Japanese gobo once and if I didn’t remember wrongly, it also turned dark even when I soaked it in water & vinegar but not as bad as the Chinese gobo. Yes, I refered to your recipe for cooking but I added pieces of chicken. I hope to make it again, hopefully it will look like yours.

        You have a nice day too

        106
        Reply to Karin Leong'> Reply

        • Hi Karin! I highly recommend to keep the gobo under water with vinegar until you’re ready to cook, or prepare right before cooking so that gobo will stay white (pale). The addition of chicken sounds amazing! It’s a nice “main” dish with the chicken. I’d be happy to eat it over rice… delicious! Thank you for your response. 🙂

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          Reply to Nami'> Reply

  95. Teia

    Hi Nami . I was at the Japanese market in San Jose n they have the burdock root n carrots all cut up for you in the frozen aisle. All you have to do is seasoned it . It save lots of time for ppl like you with kids. Just thought I let you know because I start just buying it from the frozen n cook it according to your recipe n it save me a great deal of time peeling n chopping.

    109
    Reply to Teia'> Reply

    • Hi Teia! Yeah they do have the frozen package! It definitely saves a lot of time! I usually make kimpira gobo as a way to use up leftover gobo, so I don’t need to purchase a frozen package. 😀 This pre-cut is great when you have to make a lot for parties etc. Thanks for sharing your tip!

      111
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  96. Stuart Minami

    Do you have a video of making Kinpira Gobo? I’m looking for an easy way to cut the Gobo without slicing my hand. 🙂 I tried this over the weekend and used a mandolin slicer to make the thin strips, but it wasn’t that easy. This is my favorite dish and it brings back childhood memories of having it for New Years Day. This was my first time that I tried cooking it myself and your instructions helped me bring back those happy memories. Thank you!

    112
    Reply to Stuart Minami'> Reply

    • Hi Stuart! I don’t. I don’t generally recommend to use a hard object like gobo to slice with a mandolin as you might scrape your skin… 🙁 Are you good at cutting? If so, I’d slice gobo diagonally, then pick up a few slices and cut into julienne strips. I filmed basic method to cut/shave gobo, but it won’t be ready for a while… Just julienne with a sharp knife. 🙂

      113
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  97. Oleander

    I was fortunate enough to find fresh burdock root at a Japanese supermarket I went to this weekend. I stocked up on it, and got 4 long roots. I was wondering what was the best way to store them. Would it be better to keep them as whole roots in the fridge, or to cook them all with carrots and freeze some for later? I was leaning towards making them all and then freezing the extra for later. But, as this is the first time I’ve used burdock, I wanted to ask. Thank you for any tips or suggestions you may have! 🙂

    114
    Reply to Oleander'> Reply

    • Hi Oleander! I use gobo (burdock root) for different recipes so I can’t cook them all together. If you have a cool place in the house, wrap gobo in a newspaper and you can store at room temp. I usually break the gobo in half and put it in a plastic bag and keep it in the fridge. I use it within 1.5 to 2 weeks. 🙂

      115
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  98. Darlene

    Hi Nami,
    This is the first time that I tried burdock and I made it using your recipe. I am trying to eat a more macrobiotic diet and burdock fits in well. I had some leftover lotus root and added that too. Thanks.

    116
    Reply to Darlene'> Reply

  99. Darlene

    Hi Nami,
    I am not sure that I am peeling and cutting the gobo properly. Do I need to wash or scrub the skin before peeling? My fingers were all brown after cutting the gobo and it goes away in a few days. The first time I peeled the thin outer skin and then cut into matchstick pieces. The second time I thought that I did not peel deep enough because there is an “inner ring” so I thought I had to peel deeper until I reach that inner ring.

    120
    Reply to Darlene'> Reply

    • Hi Darlene! Okay, so here’s what we do traditionally. We do not want to lose the earthy flavor of the gobo, we do NOT “peel” with a peeler. If you use it, you take out too much of the gobo taste on the skin. So, what you do is to wash the gobo (with skin) very nicely to remove dirt. Then, using the back of knife, you scrape the skin back and forth. You don’t use the sharp side because you don’t want your knife to get dull and you don’t need it to be sharp to scrape off the skin. As soon as the skin is scraped, the flesh area of gobo turns brown. So you have to work fast here.

      Then you start cutting or doing the “Sasagaki” (https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/sasagaki/).

      Inner ring is a sign of old gobo. If you keep the gobo for a long time (or the store kept it too long), you’ll see double or triple rings. It’s best to avoid it. I think it’s still edible, but it’s not as fresh.

      Make sure to soak the gobo in water or water with a splash of vinegar as soon as you cut. That way you can keep the gobo whiter, instead of dark brown.

      Hope this helps a bit? 🙂

      121
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  101. Ashley

    Hi Nami! Our grocery has gobo on sale this week and I’m thinking of making a dish for it, glad I came by this recipe!! However, I can never cut gobo into very thin strips.. *sigh*..you should totally do a video on how to peel and slice gobo and on this recipe too! Just a video suggestion😉

    125
    Reply to Ashley'> Reply

    • Hi Ashley! Haha thank you for your video suggestion! 🙂 We don’t peel the gobo. Use the back of knife to scrape the thin layer of skin (basically just get rid of very dirty part without peeling off). We like to keep “earthy” taste of gobo. Then you make cross on one end and start shaving like you shave a pencil (have you done that old fashion way?). Does this step 6 and 7 help a little?

      https://www.justonecookbook.com/takikomi-gohan/

      126
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

      • Ashley

        Hi Nami, thank you for showing me the link! The takigomi gohan pictures 6 and 7 and the description helped soo much, I’ll give it a try! My mom actually told me about the pencil trick with gobo, she taught me how to shave it (even though she’s not even good at it herself lol ;)) ,but the gobo slices always came out thick ugh! But I guess there’s really no other way to cut these up haha 🙂 Have a great day Nami!

        127
        Reply to Ashley'> Reply

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