Dressed in a delicious sesame sauce, this Pounded Burdock Root (Tataki Gobo) is a popular dish appeared in Osechi, Japanese New Year Food, which is said to bring good luck.
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 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 Years 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 for the New Year’s Food
- Chikuzenni (Nishime) – root vegetables including gobo are simmered along with the chicken.
- Kinpira Gobo – julienned carrot and gobo are stir-fried and seasoned.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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- 1 gobo (burdock root)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (for water)
- 4 cups water (1 L) (for soaking gobo)
- 2 Tbsp white sesame seeds (roasted/toasted)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- Gather all the ingredients.
In a frying pan (do not add oil), toast the sesame seeds until they are fragrant and starting to pop. Keep some distance from the heat and shake the pan to toast.
- Transfer to a mortar (suribachi). Using a pestle (surikogi), grind the sesame seeds until half of the sesame seeds are ground. Keep the other half unground for texture.
- Add 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp mirin, and 1 tsp rice vinegar to the sesame seeds.
- Peel gobo skin with the back of a knife. You don’t use a vegetable peeler to peel gobo’s skin because the earthy delicious flavor is just right below the skin and you don’t want to peel it off.
- Cut the gobo into 5 inches (12 cm), and then cut each piece in half. If it’s a very thick piece, you can cut that piece in half again.
Add 1 tsp rice vinegar in 4 cups (1L) water. Soak gobo in vinegar water for 3 minutes so the gobo retains its color.
Add gobo in the saucepan filled with 4 cups (1L) 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 gobo and transfer to the cutting board.
- Pound gobo with the pestle (surikogi or a rolling pin from end to end until the fibers are smashed. This allows the sauce to go through the fibers of the gobo. Then cut them in half (2.5 inches/6 cm pieces).
While gobo is still hot, transfer into the sesame sauce and coat well. Gobo can absorb the flavors when they are hot.
- Serve immediately at room temperature or serve chilled. You can put Tataki Gobo in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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.
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). 🙂
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! 🙂
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. 🙂