Sesame Burdock Root Salad is made with braised Japanese gobo root and carrot with light and creamy sesame mayo dressing. This Japanese recipe is a little bit sweet, savory, creamy and spicy with a fantastic crunch. Perfect appetizer or an easy dish to pass to any gathering.
You are going to love the natural sweetness of the carrot combined with the crispy earthy and slightly sweet taste of the burdock, It makes it an addictive starter or picnic addition. Serve this Japanese salad with a few onigiri or onigiri, tomagoyaki or onigirazu for a delight teatime or bento box idea.
What the heck is a burdock root?
Have you ever tried burdock root? It's crunchy, lightly sweet and slightly bitter. Burdock root is called “gobo” (ごぼう) in Japanese (Nihongo). This long-dried root is covered in a light brown covering similar to the coating on a ginger root. You can easily peel this with a back of your spoon or peeler.
Burdock is used as a root vegetable used in many recipes. It can be eaten raw, braised, boiled, fermented and in many unique recipes. It can also be brewed as a tea and also used in as an herbal medicine.
How to prepare burdock root?
- Remove the skin as it can be tough.
- Julienne sliced burdock root makes it easy to eat with your chopsticks.
- Prevent Oxidation: Burdock root oxidizes quickly when exposed to air. You are going to want to soak your burdock root in water to prevent this oxidation. Soaking, for about 10 minutes, also helps to remove a little of the bitterness.
- Blanching: For our Sesame Burdock Root Salad, we blanched the carrots first for 2 minutes and then the burdock root lastly. Burdock root is a little tougher and stronger in flavor. It takes a bit longer to cook (about 3-5 minutes). If your burdock root is older and not as fresh, the cooking time can be even longer.
Uses in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Burdock root is a cooling food according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Our post called, “Introducing the Five Energies of food”, will help refresh your memory on this topic as it correlates to certain foods.
Depending on your body disposition and any imbalances you may have, cooling foods will be either good for you or not good for you. We balance the cooling effect of this Sesame Burdock Root Salad with a little spice and heat from Shichimi togarashi.
Shichimi togarashi is a 7-flavor chili pepper mixture that is used in Japanese cooking. If you do not have this spice but want to add a little heat, you can try a little white ground pepper.
Effects to Note
The burdock root is slightly bitter and has a cleansing action on the body. It clears heat, drying dampness and promoting elimination via urination or bowel movements. We say everything in moderation.
If you are on diuretics, have diarrhea or are pregnant, use with caution. You do not want to become further dehydrated. Also, if you have a predisposition to being too cold, do not over-consume as you do not want to cause an imbalance between your yin and yang.
Dish to Pass
Sesame Burdock Root Salad The simple mayo sesame dressing has a little Japanese mirin, soya sauce, Kewpie Mayo, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds a little touch Shichimi togarashi for a little spice.
If you are looking for a great dish to pass for all of your BBQ functions without mayo, be sure to try our Soba Noodle Salad with Yuzu Dressing.
Fabulous starter, appetizer and side dish
Sesame Burdock root salad is a great dish to serve on the side or as a starter to a delicious Japanese meal. The delicious crunch and zip pf the salad really wakes up those taste buds.
If you are craving salads, be sure to try our Lemon white Balsamic Vinaigrette , Easy Summer Millet Salad, and Summer Salad with Strawberry Rose Dressing.
More Japanese Summer and Spring Recipe Ideas
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Sesame Burdock Root Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cup Burdock root or 2 stalks peeled and julienned
- 1 Carrot
peeled and julienned - Water for boiling
- 3 tablespoon mayonnaise
Kewpie - 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
(tamari) - 1 tablespoon Mirin (Japanese cooking wine or can use cooking sherry)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or sugar alternative of choice
- 1 teaspoon Sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds
toasted - ¼ teaspoon Shichimi togarashi (optional) or to desired heat level
Instructions
- Peel, slice on a diagonal thinly and julienne slice burdock. Soak burdock in water for 10 minutes to prevent oxidation. Peel, slice and julienne carrot. Set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan bring water to boil. Add julienned carrot slices and parboil for about 2 minutes. Remove, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- In the same boiling water add the julienned burdock root and parboil for about 3-5 minutes or until crisp to the tooth but tender enough to chew. If your burdock root is old, the time needed to get the burdock root to tender can be much longer… maybe up to 10 minutes. The only way to truly tell if your burdock root is ready is to eat a slice. It should be crisp but tooth tender. Remove cooked burdock root from pan. Rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- Dry your cooked and cooled burdock root and carrot julienned slices very well. Don’t miss that step as you do not want a watery dressing.
- In a medium bowl add you dried burdock root, carrot, mayonnaise, soy sauce (or tamari if you need to keep it gluten free), mirin, sugar or sugar alternative, sesame oil, toasted white sesame seeds and Shichimi togarashi if desired. Mix well.
- Enjoy!
Dana says
We always have this at the Japanese place