Burdock (gobo)

[Dianabanana]

When I go to the Asian grocery, I always see elderly people standing in front of the burdock, slowly and meticulously scrutinizing each piece. At times they seem almost entranced! What are they looking for? What should I be looking for?

[torakris]

Interesting!

Maybe they are bored, I have never seen anyone scrutinize gobo in Japan before...

Here are some tips for finding the best gobo:

look for a medium thickness

the thinner tips should stand straight, not be floppy

look for those with little to no hairy roots

look for those with no knobs

avoid those that are cracked or split

gobo that is still covered in dirt stays fresh longer

Gobo loses its freshness very quickly so try to use it as soon as possible, if you need to store it wrap it in newspaper and store it in a cool place. Wash the dirt off just before using it.

If you have bought gobo that has been washed store it in a bag in the refrigerator.

[Dianabanana]

When you say "loses its freshness very quickly," what exactly do you mean? How long does it keep?

(The people in the store pull out one piece after another, scrutinizing and rejecting, scrutinizing and rejecting. They seem very serious about their gobo!)

[torakris]

When you say "loses its freshness very quickly," what exactly do you mean? How long does it keep?

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I almost always use it within 2 days, any longer than that and it starts to get floppy. It is more of a loss of texture rather than flavor though. The thinner and more well washed they are the faster they should be used. Wrapped in a cool place in newspaper I imagine it would stay flavorful for close to a week.

[SheenaGreena]

like torakris says, look for a really stiff and not floppy gobo...and try to get ones without dried out ends. The gobo here is always dried out at the ends so I have to cut off about an inch on each end.

I do a really great korean gobo panchan preparation which is just julienned gobo stir fried and sprinkled with salt. Its so simple, but tastes really great and goes well with a bowl of hot rice.

[Dianabanana]

Thanks! The only thing I have made with it so far is kinpira, so I will try your panchan. I would love to hear other suggestions for using it.

[Hiroyuki]

Thanks! The only thing I have made with it so far is kinpira, so I will try your panchan. I would love to hear other suggestions for using it.

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How about kenchin jiru, ton jiru, and chikuzen ni?

[SheenaGreena]

I think the japanese do something similar, but koreans like to put gobo in kimbap. I have seen a japanese preparation that uses pickled gobo in maki rolls.

[Dan Nguyen]

Thanks! The only thing I have made with it so far is kinpira, so I will try your panchan. I would love to hear other suggestions for using it.

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How about kenchin jiru, ton jiru, and chikuzen ni?

Hiroyuki,

When you have the chance would you please show us how to cook : kenchin jiru, ton jiru and chikuzen ni ....

Or someone know how to ?

Thanks

[Sally-chan]

Here is Hiroyuki's version of tonjiru from his web site. http://tinyurl.com/p4hvbsk For other recipes, you can choose from a number of websites for Japanese recipes, but Cookpad (https://en.cookpad.com/) just launched an English version of their website. Lots of ideas for Japanese home cooking. You'll find recipes for tonjiru and kenchin jiru...or just type in burdock root (gobo) for other ideas. And here's a recipe for chikuzen ni. http://tinyurl.com/orpxyyq

Edited August 14, 2013 by Sally-chan (log)

[Dan Nguyen]

Thankyou Sally. I live in US so by English language is very helpful, I am trying to learn ( ) Japanese language now .

Will let you know

[loki]

I had to chime in here. When I'm at the local supermarkets, especially at off hours without a lot of people there (Sunday mornings for instance) I see elderly people (I'm getting there myself...) scrutinizing every fruit and vegetable - to the point of ridiculousness. So I'm not sure it's gobo but a thing with getting older. One woman was there for the entire time I was shopping for everything, and still only had a few vegetables in her basket (so maybe an item ratio of 25:1 from me to her). Anyway I can't really get gobo locally, except pickled. I love it! I bought fresh and was not at all impressed, especially for the price I paid. But I may try again. The weed - burdock - a closely related species is very abundant here in places... Anybody have experience with it? It's scientific name is Arctium minus = common burdock or lessor burdock (though this is not indicative of the above-ground size!).