Japanese · side

Kinpira Gobo (Braised Burdock and Carrot with Sesame)

Kinpira Gobo (Braised Burdock and Carrot with Sesame) reads sweetness 6.4, umami 6.0 and salinity 5.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Japanese side, about 22 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 6.8 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 6.9 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 3.2 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.5 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.6 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 1.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 6.4 · Umami 6.0 · Salinity 5.3 · Nutty 4.3 · Richness 4.1 · Sourness 3.1 · Funk & Ferment 3.0 · Earthy 2.3 · Heat 1.6 · Fruity 1.6 · Floral 1.5 · Herbaceous 1.1 · Bitterness 0.9

What's in it (11)

• burdock root — 250 g
• cold water — 1000 g
• rice wine vinegar — 4 g
• carrot — 100 g
• sesame oil — 20 g
• dried red chillies — 5 g
• sake — 30 g
• mirin — 15 g
• caster sugar — 8 g
• soy sauce — 22 g
• white sesame seeds — 5 g

Time & effort: about 22 min (21 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 34.4 kcal, 0.5 g protein, 1.6 g fat, 4.8 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (5 steps)

1. Hold the burdock like a pencil and shave it against a knife blade into thin curls, turning the root as you go, letting the slivers fall straight into the vinegared water. Burdock browns within a minute of being cut. Soak 10 minutes, then drain well and pat dry; wet burdock steams instead of frying.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat with the chile rings and let them darken for 20 seconds, until the oil smells hot and peppery but the chile is still red.
3. Add the burdock and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes, until the slivers turn glassy at the edges and smell earthy rather than raw. Add the carrot and fry 2 minutes more; it should keep some spring.
4. Pour in the sake, sugar and mirin and cook, stirring, until the liquid has almost gone, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and keep stirring over the heat for another 2 to 3 minutes, until nothing pools in the bottom of the pan and every sliver is lacquered dark.
5. Take the pan off the heat, crush the sesame seeds between your fingers over the top and toss once. Kinpira is eaten at room temperature, and it is better on the second day; a small mound of it is one of the three sides in an ichiju-sansai meal, where its salt and chile are the counterweight to a plain bowl of rice.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Kiriboshi Daikon no Nimono (Simmered Dried Daikon Strips) — Japanese
• Chikuzenni (Simmered Chicken and Root Vegetables) — Japanese
• Hijiki no Nimono (Simmered Hijiki with Soybeans and Fried Tofu) — Japanese
• Boli (Roasted Plantain) — Nigerian
• Miso-Glazed Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku) — Japanese

Keep reading: what sweetness, umami, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.