One of my favorite aspects of Korean dining is the gratis selection of panchan, or banchan, presented at the beginning of the meal. Small bowls or divided lacquered boxes cradle pickled, braised and fermented vegetables: spicy and pungent kimchi, sweet and cool thinly sliced cucumber with an assertive chili finish, cubes or long threads of crunchy daikon, sesame-laced leaves of spinach, sugary simmered potatoes. Tiny, salty preserved fish make an occasional appearance, as can marinated tofu or an American-style mayonnaise–bound chicken or potato salad, which continues to strike me as an odd player. The variety can change daily, so a panchan you enjoyed on one visit may not grace your table on the next.
At the little rectangular box of a restaurant that is Ha Anh on Cleveland's Superior Avenue, one of my favorite panchan (when it makes an appearance) is an addictive dish of crunchy, candy-sweet and salty soy-braised sliced burdock root. In Korean, burdock is known as woo-ung; in Japanese, as gobo. Sliced, braised vegetable dishes are referred to as jorim in Korean, and as kinpira in Japanese. In any language, the outcome is delicious.
After a recent bibimbap lunch at Ha Anh, when the woo-ung did not make an anticipated appearance, I made my way over to the Asian market, Tink Holl, picked up ingredients and went home to create my own version of woo-ung jorim, or kinpira gobo.
I had scoured a litany of recipes and discovered that the key ingredients and flavors are similar among Korean and Japanese braised preparations: burdock alone or combined with other root vegetables, simmered in a mixture of soy, sugar and/or mirin, sake, sesame seeds and/or oil and a little bit of heat derived from fresh, powdered, paste or flaked chilis.
The Korean preparations are a touch stickier and sweeter than the Japanese counterparts. I went for something less sweet with a bolder cut, so the effort would be suitable as a side dish, rather than a a few bites before a meal.
Burdock roots are long, slender pale brown twigs, which sometimes have fine, hairy root-like extensions. High in iron and fiber, and purportedly beneficial to the liver and kidneys, burdock packs a nutritional wallop. The peeled root reveals a creamy white interior that begins to oxidize and brown almost immediately. Organic burdock is darker and gnarlier than the conventional, and I would advise a nice scrubbing in lieu of the peeling to retain more nutrients concentrated in the peel (I always peel conventionally grown root vegetables if that’s what I need to purchase). In selecting your burdock root, find those that are firm, as they become limp within a couple of days, making them difficult to peel. The flavor of burdock is sweet, earthy and, when braised, takes on the flavor of a potato crossed with a parsnip or Jerusalem artichoke. The beauty of burdock is that no matter how long the cook time, it retains a winning element of crunch.
Layering the dish with texture coming from three root vegetable components, burdock, carrot and lotus root, makes for a visually interesting and palate pleasing dish. The carrots' inherent sweetness contrasts and complements the burdock, the juicy crispness of mildly flavored lotus root adding further dimension. A hit of fresh ginger wakes up the earth tones with a little zing, while the crunch of sesame and a fresh chili heat make for a colorful and fiery finish to the dish.
Since I devised this dish as a side, I opted for light soy sauce in lieu of regular, and went dialed down the amount of sugar. A serving of kinpira gobo, along with nutty, chewy steamed short grain brown rice, cucumbers with a splash of seasoned rice vinegar and grilled chicken, fish or tofu would be a beautiful summer supper.
Other ingredients:
- Mirin: A pale, golden hued sweet Japanese cooking wine. Mirin has a low alcohol content. I am very pleased with the Aji-Mirin brand.
- Sake: Japanesed brewed rice wine. A cheap cooking variety is suitable and recommended in this recipe. Buy a better version for drinking.
- Lotus root: The starchy rizome of the lotus plant. Mild in flavor, crunchy, I cant resist an opportunity for their pretty, lacey appearance when sliced. I generally purchase lotus sliced and vacuum packed.
Kinpira Gobo
Yield: Approximately 2 cups
Ingredients:
½ lb. firm burdock root, scrubbed free of dirt and hairy roots if organic, peeled if conventional, and cut into thin coins, sliced on the diagonal
¼ lb. medium carrots (about 2), peeled and cut into thin coins sliced on the diagonal
¼ lb. lotus root slices, halved into semicircles
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, peeled and julienne
2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
4 tablespoon sake (basic – nothing fancy needed)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
4 tablespoons light soy
Garnish: toasted sesame seeds and julienne hot red chile such as Fresno
Directions:
Prepare burdock root, dropping slices into a bowl of acidulated cold water while you prepare and assemble remaining ingredients.
Heat wok or large sauté pan on medium high heat. Drain burdock slices and pat dry. Heat oil in the wok and add the burdock, stir-frying for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots and ginger, stir-frying to incorporate all ingredients. Add the sake, sugar, mirin and soy, and stir to incorporate. Adjust heat to medium, allowing liquid to simmer and reduce, stirring, about 3-5 minutes Add the lotus root, stir to combine and let the mixture continue to reduce until it becomes a syrupy glaze, approximately 10-15 minutes total. Plate and garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and red chili. Best served at room temperature. [All photos by Heidi Robb]
