Burdock Root - 3 Delicious Banchans!

Burdock Root. It's probably the first time you've heard about it. But it's a very healthy, nutritious root vegetable that's used in culinary dishes in Korea, Japan and China. It has the texture of potato - very crunchy and starchy. But it's claim to fame is its medicinal value. A single root of burdock has an impressive 470 mg of potassium, a mineral known to help improve blood pressure levels (great for diabetics). It also contains inulin, a unique form of fiber that helps boost the amount of good bacteria in your gut (great for digestion). The list goes on and on. But today, allow me to show you 3 delicious ways to cook with burdock root! Follow me... 🤓

Before we start, what does burdock root taste like? Well, it has a nice crunch and starchy texture - similar to a raw potato. It has a slight sweetness when you first bite into it. Followed by a hint of herbal-medicine-like flavor. It's a unique flavor

The first dish is Burdock Root Jorim (우엉조림 - pronounced woo-eong-jorim). This is probably the most popular way to eat burdock root in Korea. The burdock root is julienned into thin slices. Then lightly braised in a sweetened soy sauce, along with a touch of honey. Eat it as a banchan with a bowl of rice - delicious!

The second dish is Burdock Fries. This one is a no-brainer.  Since the sliced root has a starchy texture, it's perfect for frying. The burdock root gets crispy with a crunchy-yet-chewy middle. Serve it like homemade fries with a burger on the side 🙂

The third dish is my favorite. It's Beef & Burdock. The dish reminds me of gyudon (Japanese beef bowl). Instead of onions, we'll use thin burdock peels. Boil and reduce them with beef in a broth. And after a few minutes, you're left with thin beef and broth-infused burdock. Again, simply perfect with a bowl of rice!

If you see Burdock Root at the Korean Mart, put in your cart!

Bon Appetit ya'll.  😎

Burdock Root - 3 delicious recipes

5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

Burdock Root Jorim

• 2 pieces of Burdock Root (each piece, forearm-length piece)
• 1 piece of Carrot (pinky finger-length piece)
• 2 teaspoons (!) of Sesame Oil
• 1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce
• 1.5 teaspoons (!) of Sugar
• ½ Tablespoon of Honey
• Few Shakes of Sesame Seeds

Burdock Root Fries

• 2 pieces of Burdock Root (each piece, forearm-length)
• 1 teaspoon of Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons of Flour
• 1 Tablespoon of Potato Starch
• Few shakes of Salt
• Few shakes of Black Pepper

Beef & Burdock

• 2 pieces of Burdock Root (each piece, forearm-length)
• Few squirts of vinegar (when soaking the shavings)
• 150 grams Thinly-Sliced Beef
• 2.5 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce
• 1.5 Tablespoons of Sugar
• Handful of Chopped Green onion (for garnish)

Instructions

Burdock Root Jorim

• Wash and thoroughly scrub the dirt off your burdock roots (use a dish-washing sponge). 
• Then cut both roots - at a slight angle - to make thin sections. Julienne them into thin, long strips. Next, julienne the piece of carrot as well. 
• Put a large frying pan on medium heat. Once its hot, add in 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Then add in the burdock roots and carrot strips. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the carrots start to sweat. 
• After 2-3 minutes, add in Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon) and Sugar (1.5 teaspoons). Stir-around for 1 additional minute.
• Then add some honey (½ Tablespoon). Stir-fry for 1 more minute. Turn off heat. Plate and garnish with sesame seeds.

Burdock Root Fries

• Wash and thoroughly scrub the dirt off both of the burdock roots (use a dish-washing sponge). 
• Then cut both roots - at a slight angle - to make thin sections. 
• Take out a mixing bowl and place the sliced roots inside. Then add-in Soy Sauce (1 teaspoon). Mix it around and coat each piece. 
• Get a separate bowl out. Mix together Flour (2 Tablespoons) and potato starch powder (1 Tablespoon). Now, pour this batter over your burdock root slices. Use your hands and mix around until each piece gets evenly coated. 
• Take out a frying pan and place on medium-heat. Put oil in and bring it up to 170C (340F). Then fry each piece until its golden-brown on both sides.
• Garnish with salt & pepper. Enjoy!

Beef & Burdock

• Wash and thoroughly scrub the dirt off your burdock roots (use a dish-washing sponge). 
• Take out a large bowl and fill with cold water. Place a few squeezes of vinegar into the water - this will prevent the shavings from oxidizing and turning dark.
• Then use a speed peeler and make shavings of the burdock root. Place the shavings immediately into the water. 
• Take out a small pot. Now take the shavings out of the water and place into your pot. Then add in your beef on top. Add in some water - just enough to submerge the ingredients (reference video). Place the pot on medium heat.
• Season the water with Soy Sauce (2.5 Tablespoons) and Sugar (1.5 Tablespoons). Once the broth comes up to boil, use a soup ladle and skim-off the gunk. 
• Let the broth reduce down for roughly 7 minutes - or until there is only 1 cm of broth left in the pot. After 7 minutes, turn off heat.
• Place into a bowl. Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve with a bowl of rice. 

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