Burdock root is part of a plant that can be prepared similar to carrots. It’s common in Japanese cuisine and is known as gobō. You might recognize the plant as those purple fuzzy things that sometimes get caught on your clothing when you’re hiking through the woods.

I usually eat this as a side dish, it’s quick and simple to make and has a crunchy texture that I love. My mom also makes burdock root soup, but I’m not too fond of it prepared that way.

Preparing the Burdock root

The recipe that I loosely follow is Kinpira Gobo. I usually add a bit more sugar and replace the sake with white wine if it’s not available.

Stir-fried Burdock Root

Most of the flavour comes from the seasoning, but the burdock root also provides some flavour and a wonderful crisp crunchy texture.