Dressed in a delicious sesame sauce, this Pounded Burdock Root (Tataki Gobo) is a popular side dish of Osechi Ryori, or traditional Japanese New Year foods. Burdock root is sweet, mild, and earthy with a taste similar to artichoke. It’s a deep root that grows straight down into the ground and symbolizes stability for the house and family in the new year.
We eat gobo (ごぼう) or burdock root all year round. You can find it frequently appears in miso soup, Kinpira Gobo, and Gobo Salad. On Oshogatu, the New Year’s holiday celebration on January 1st, this Pounded Burdock Root with Sesame Sauce or Tataki Gobo (たたきごぼう) is served along with the Japanese New Year feast (Osechi).
What is Gobo?
Gobo is the Japanese name for burdock root. Originating from the Siberian region of Northern Asia and in use as a vegetable in Europe during the Middle Ages, it is particularly popular in Japanese cuisine and Chinese herbal medicine.
The root is sweet, mild, and earthy with a taste similar to artichoke, and most of the flavor comes from right below the skin. Therefore, instead of peeling the skin, we “shave off” the thin layer of skin with the back of a knife.
It is one of my favorite root vegetables along with lotus root. In Japanese cooking, gobo is used in soups, simmered dishes, rice dishes, salad, and deep-fried dishes.
Eat Pounded Burdock Root (Tataki Gobo) on New Year’s Day
Burdock root or gobo is a deep root that grows straight down into the ground which symbolizes stability for the house and family. Therefore, it’s considered one of the auspicious foods eaten during the Japanese New Year.
Tataki Gobo is a traditional Japanese New Year’s dish where burdock root is cooked, pounded, and dressed with sesame sauce. It is one of the top 3 dishes for the New Year in the Kansai region (Osaka area), but not as popular in the Kanto region (Tokyo area).
Why do we need to pound the burdock root? The burdock root is pretty tough and fibrous, even after cooking. Therefore, we smash the root and break down fibers, which allows the sauce to go through the fibers of the burdock root. Pounding also makes the root easier to chew, even for children!
Burdock root is known for its many health benefits, such as multiple types of powerful antioxidants. Not only for the New Year’s celebration, but we should also enjoy this root vegetable all year round, especially when it’s in season from fall to winter.
3 Tips to Make Pounded Burdock Root (Tataki Gobo)
1. Soak burdock root in vinegared water
Burdock root’s white flesh can oxidize after it is peeled. To prevent it from turning brown and to remove any astringent taste, we typically submerge the root in water with a little bit of vinegar. The burdock flesh turns pale in color, and since red and white are the colors of celebration in Japanese culture, it is recommended to use vinegared water.
2. Toast the sesame seeds before using
Even though the package of your sesame seeds says “Toasted” or “Roasted” sesame seeds, I still recommend toasting the sesame seeds in an empty frying pan until fragrant. The additional toasting releases the oil and brings out the nutty flavor even more.
3. Dress the burdock root while it’s hot
When the burdock root is still hot, quickly dress it with the sesame sauce. It will absorb more flavors than when it’s cooled. I’m not sure if it’s old wives’ tale that has passed down to generations, but I think there is some science behind this (or I would like to think that way).
Other Burdock Root (Gobo) Dishes
- Chikuzenni (Nishime) – root vegetables including gobo are simmered along with the chicken.
- Kinpira Gobo – julienned carrot and gobo are stir-fried and seasoned.
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Pounded Burdock Root with Sesame Sauce (Tataki Gobo)
Ingredients
- 1 gobo (burdock root) (150 g, 5.3 oz)
- 4 cups water (for soaking the gobo)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) (for soaking the gobo)
For the Sesame Sauce
- 2 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
Instructions
Before You Start…
- If you will include this dish in your Osechi meal, I recommend preparing it 2-3 days before you plan to serve. For more helpful tips on planning your Japanese New Year feast, please read my A 5-Day Osechi Cooking Timeline blog post.
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Sesame Sauce
- To a dry frying pan (no oil) over medium heat, add the sesame seeds and toast them. Keep some distance from the heat while you shake the pan until the sesame seeds are fragrant and start to pop.
- Transfer the toasted seeds to a mortar (suribachi). Using a pestle (surikogi), grind the sesame seeds until 80% of the seeds are ground. Keep some of the seeds unground for texture.
- To the mortar, add the soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar. Mix well with the sesame seeds.
To Prepare the Gobo
- Scrape the gobo skin with the back of a knife. Don’t use a vegetable peeler on the gobo’s skin because you don't want to peel off the earthy and delicious flavor just below the skin.
- Cut the gobo into 5 inch (12 cm) lengths, and then cut each piece in half lengthwise. If it’s a very thick piece, you can cut that piece lengthwise in half again.
- Combine the rice vinegar and water in a medium bowl and soak the gobo for 3 minutes to prevent it from changing color. Drain and set aside.
To Cook the Gobo
- Add the gobo to a saucepan filled with water. Bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium and cook for 13-15 minutes, or until the gobo is tender but firm. Drain the gobo and transfer to a cutting board.
To Dress with the Sauce
- Pound the hot gobo with the pestle (surikogi) or a rolling pin from end to end until the fibers are smashed. This allows the sauce to permeate the fibers of the gobo. Then, cut the gobo in half crosswise (2.5 inches/6 cm pieces).
- While the gobo is still hot, transfer it into the sesame sauce and coat well. Gobo will absorb more flavors when it's hot.
To Serve and Store
- Serve immediately at room temperature or serve chilled.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and keep them for 3 days in the refrigerator or for up to a month in the freezer.
Tried this recipe for the first time and it was a real hit!! We usually make kinpira gobō, but this time I decided to make kinpira renkon. I was a little concerned about how tough the gobō would be, but after boiling and hitting it with my pestle and dressing it with the sesame sauce, it was terrific. Just the right amount of texture and flavor. This may become an Osechi regular on our menu!! Thanks Nami!!
Hi Yosh! Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
Do you use a sushi vinegar in the sesame dressing for the gobo? Thank you.
Hi Linda! I use rice vinegar (sushi vinegar is usually made of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt) for 2 things. 1 tsp for soaking gobo, and another tsp for the sauce. 🙂
Hi nami,
I really like your recipes, and decided to try this gobo recipe. My friend brought gobo for lunch before and really wanted to try making it.
However, when I was cutting and peeling the gobo, I got a strong rust smell from it. And then after cooking and eating it, it had a rusty taste to it. I’m not sure if the gobo is just rotten or if it’s naturally supposed to taste like this?
Thanks!
Hi Mitch! Thank you for trying my recipes! I have never seen gobo being rotten, maybe because it keeps well in a cool place for a long, long time, and I never got to see them rotten before.
Have you had gobo before? Just in case you haven’t, you should know that it has this earthy smell and taste. The earthy taste resides right underneath the skin, which is why we do not “peel”, we shave off the outside later thinly.
I asked Mr. JOC if he would consider that taste is “rusty” and he said kind of. So I’m thinking maybe you thought that taste is rusty? It’s very earthy, unique taste to it. Most likely it is not rotten (especially you just got it), I think it’s the taste you would describe… What do you think?
Hi Nami!
Thank you for the reply. You’re right, it’s just the natural flavor of the gobo. My family told me most roots have a distinctive earthy taste to it. My mistake!
Regardless, the recipe is delicious as always 🙂
Hi Mitch! Glad we found out. Thank you so much for your kind feedback! 🙂
Does Japanese need to be refrigerated? Some stores sell it on shelves and some in refrigerated section.
Hi Joy! I apologize for my late response. Gobo should be kept in a cool place (refrigerator or cool dark place in the house). 🙂