While every household has their own way of preparing kinpira gobo, I like to start mine off by frying some finely chopped skin-on chicken thigh to render out some fat. This becomes the fat used to saute the burdock giving it a wonderful flavor. While it may be tempting to use skinless chicken or even breasts, don’t do it! The chicken is there for two reasons, to add fat to saute the burdock, and to add flavor. Skinless thighs won’t render enough fat, and breasts have neither the fat nor the flavor. For the gobo, I like to julienne it as thinly as possible so that it’s more of a quick sauté than a simmered dish(the way some people prepare it). Combined with a particular way of cutting the burdock with the grain, instead of against it, this technique gives the finished kinpira a marvelously crunchy texture. Because burdock oxidizes very quickly turning the white flesh a muddy grey, it’s important to work in small batches and to always keep it soaked in an acidic solution (vinegar or lemon juice in water will work). Gobo can be a little tough to find in stores, unless you live near an Asian grocery store, but it literally grows like weeds all over North America. You’ll need a shovel to dig up the long taproot, but the top of the plant looks like this. If you do decide to forage for your budock, please do your research and be 100% certain you’ve identified it correctly as eating the wrong plant could be toxic. There’s one last bonus fact about gobo I wanted to share before I get to the recipe. A Swiss electrical engineer was once inspired by burdock seeds clinging to his clothes and dog after going for a walk, which led him to invent the hook and loop fastening system we now know as Velcro!
📖 Recipe
