Gobo burdock root

Arctium lappa

Here is another root vegetable that frequently appears on our table. This long stick-like root has an earthy aroma and is quite filling. It can be cut and sliced in many different ways that suit most individual dishes. Aroma and nutrition are concentrated near the skin, and fresh gobo is best scrubbed and lightly scraped with the back of a knife rather than peeling. Unfortunately, gobo available at stores is often already somewhat wilted and difficult to scrape properly.

When buying, select ones that are firm and would break if bent them. Gobo keeps very well in the fridge or a cool location.

Traditionally known for cleansing the blood and conditioning the digestive tract, gobo has both insoluble and soluble fibers. Cellulose and lignin, insoluble fibers, are something that the human body cannot digest, and thus they carry away bad stuff including carcinogens from our digestive tracts. Inulin, a soluble fiber, slows down sugar and cholesterol absorption. Gobo always comes up as the vegetable of choice to lower cholesterol.

Gobo's high fiber content also makes it taste substantial -- another reason it is recommended for those who want to lose weight, which is often linked with high cholesterol level and higher likelihood for diabetes and heart-related diseases.

Gobo also has a polyphenol called chlorogenic acid with antioxidant properties. It prevents development of carcinogenic compounds.

65 kcal/100 g; 81.7% water, 1.8% protein, 0.1% fat, 15.4% carbohydrate, 0.9% ash

Recipes with gobo

• Okara-konnyaku no nikumiso-fu / sweet and salty fried ground soybean pulp yam cakes
• Fubaagu no shisomaki / small gluten cake burgers wrapped with perilla leaves
• Itokoni / root vegetables and azuki beans simmered in broth
• Nasu no yanagawa-fu / simmered eggplant and burdock root with egg 
• Gobo to satsumaage, shimeji no donburi / burdock root, deep-fried fishcake and shimeji mushrooms over steamed rice
  
• Iridori / chikuzen-ni / braised chicken with root vegetables
  
• Konsai no sakekasu misoshiru / miso soup with root vegetables and sake lees
  
• Gobo to shungiku no misoshiru / miso soup with burdock root and garland chrysanthemum
• Satsumaimo no tenpura, shungiku to gobo, ebi no kakiage / deep-fried Japanese sweet potato & mixed tempura with garland chrysanthemum, burdock root and prawns
• Ebi-shinjo to yasai ribon no nabe / hot pot with prawn-fish dumplings and vegetable ribbons
  
• Gobo no surinagashi, tonyu-jitate /soy milk miso soup with pureed burdock root
• Konsai no yooguruto misoshiru / root vegetable miso soup with yogurt
• Ohyo to gobo no misoshiru / miso soup with halibut and burdock root
• Karei no nitsuke / sole simmered in reduced broth
• Tataki gobo / burdock root in sesame soy sauce vinegar dressing
• Gobo to toriniku no amakarani / salty-sweet simmered burdock root and chicken
• Gobo to konnyaku no pirikara irini / spicy saute-simmered burdock root and konnyaku yam cake
  
• Gobo to ninjin, enoki no misoshiru / miso soup with burdock root, carrot and enoki mushrooms
  
• Tentojidon / tempura simmered in broth and egg on rice
• Konsai to ebi no kakiage tendon / root vegetable and prawn tempura over rice
• Konsai to ebi no kakiage / julienned root vegetable tempura with prawns
• Gobo to tsumire no misoshiru / miso soup with burdock root and ground fishballs
• Chirashizushi / sushi with assorted ingredients and julienned egg crepe
• Gomoku-mame / soybeans with root vegetables in broth
• Ishikari-nabe / Ishikari hot pot with salmon, tofu and vegetables
• Sobagaki-iri konsaijiru / root vegetable soup with buckwheat dumplings
• Gobo sarada / burdock root salad with soy sauce lemon mayonnaise dressing
• Kayaku gohan / steamed rice with assorted ingredients
• Unohana / soybean pulp with vegetables
• Gobo, ninjin, renkon no kinpira / kinpira saute with gobo burdock root, carrot and lotus root
• Konsai to tofu no akadashi / red miso soup with root vegetables and tofu
• Chapuche / japchae stir-fried vermicelli and vegetables
• Kenchinjiru / root vegetable and tofu soup

Try gobo in the following recipes

• Suigyoza no chige-fu nabe / jjigae-style hotpot with shui jiao dumplings
  
• Tonyu miso nikomi udon / hot-pot udon wheat noodles in red miso and soy milk broth 
• Sakana no oisutaasoosu-ni, howajao-iri / simmered fish in oyster sauce-flavored broth with Sichuan peppers
  
• Tonyu nabe / hot pot with soy milk broth
• Sakana to konsai no amazuan / fish and root vegetables with sweet and sour sauce

(Last updated: October 18, 2017)