Tuesday, November 25, 2014

B&B

Burdock and Beef

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Jubilation! I feel that and at the same time things get hectic when the holidays are approaching. Our meal selection moves to the ”No-Fuss” zone often (like every day).

A quick inventory of my refrigerator indicates I need to use burdock very soon. This root vegetable is a fairly long survivor in the vegetable bin though, the flavor might diminish and the nutrition value may be questionable…yada yada yada…the bottom line is that I don’t want to throw it away.

It’s not exactly a 30 minute meal but for me it uses the familiar nikomi (煮込み/stewing) method, so no need to see the recipe. It resembles sukiyaki, the sweet beef flavor is just what you need to quiet down your hunger before jumping into the car to catch that new movie starting in 15 minutes!

Ingredients and Instruction for 4 servings (Print Recipe Here)

Necessary equipment: drop lid – use one size smaller pan lid or make with foil

  • 1 burdock
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 300g thinly sliced beef (At the Asian market it is called sukiyaki beef) cut in 2 inch strips
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  • 2 cups dashi stock (I used 1 packet of powdered dashi dissolved in 2 cups hot water)
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  • 4 Tablespoons of sugar or 4 packets of pure stevia for a sugar-free version
  • 3 Tablespoons of sake
  • 2-3 Tablespoons of soy sauce or tamari sauce for gluten-free version
  • Toppings -1-2 stalks of green onion or mitsuba (三つ葉/Japanese honeywort) chopped for garnish (optional)
  1. Prepare burdock – Do not peel the skin. Scrub and wash burdock with a vegetable brush under running water thoroughly. Slice in 1/2 inch diagonally. Soak in water for 5 minutes, drain. Set aside.DSC_5397
  2. Heat oil in a pan at medium heat. Add prepared burdock and sauté for 3 -4 minutes.
  3. Add beef and dashi stock. When it starts boiling, lower the heat to low. Scoop out scum that appears on top with a spoon and discard into a bowl filled with water to rinse the spoon.DSC_5403DSC_5407
  4. Add sugar and sake and place the drop lid on top. Simmer for 10 minutes.
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  5. Add soy sauce and cook for 20 minutes. until the liquid is nearly evaporated.
  6. Heat the pan to high and stir the burdock and beef to intensify the saltiness about 1 minute (All the liquid should be gone at this point).
  7. Serve hot over cooked rice and garnish with chopped green onion or mitsuba, dropping an egg yolk is also a nice move.DSC_5413

Variation – Because I like to have some sauce in rice bowl, I shorten the cooking time – see step #5 and I skip # 6.

 

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
F
or everything Thy goodness sends.

                                                   - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

27 comments:

  1. O que nos faz amigos é essa capacidade de sermos muitos, mesmo quando somos dois.
    Pe. Fábio de Melo
    Obrigada querida pela amizade carinhosa!
    Um doce abraço, Marie.

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  2. Hi Nippon Nin,

    I see that you have a cool pot lid with an "invisible" pig face... Cool!

    Yeah... Holidays are stressful for me too! Having said that, I think you still put in good effort to cook and don't think that your delicious beef dish is entirely a no-fuss food :D

    Zoe

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    1. Thank you Zoe. I just visited your blog. What the great macaroons you made!

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  3. I don't think I've had burdock before- looks really interesting though! I think your definition of no fuss is quite different to mine haha....if I were to make something like this, it would be counted as a lot of effort! :P Looks amazing though- love the first shot with the golden egg yolk!

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    1. Thank you Von. Wishing you a wonderful holiday!

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  4. I normally use burdock to make soup. Your burdock beef dish looks good!

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    1. Thank you! I would like to know your burdock soup recipe...sounds very interesting.

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  5. こんばんは。ゴボウにビーフ、美味しそうです。ぶたさんの蓋は初めて見ました。柳川鍋にもゴボウは入りますから、ビーフとの相性もよさそうですね。

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    1. ありがとうございます。 オレゴンも寒くなってきました。東京はいかがですか?

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  6. Damn delicious and comforting dish....
    a little of vinegar or lemon juice in the soaking water help to prevent the burdock ozidised and changing color....

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    1. Thank you Mater Chef! Your razor clams dish look fantastic! I love try the recipe but sadly razor clams are not so easy to find it here.
      Thanks for the tip. I will try your method next time.

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  7. I've really been loving Japanese comfort food lately! The chill in the air... Yes. I know I live in Hawaii. I'm cold, too! Ha ha ha.
    This looks really good. I love eggs on everything.

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    1. Thanks Mariko. I agree, egg yolk on this dish or udon taste so much better.

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  8. ちょうど生協の配達でごぼうがきたところです。明日の献立はこれで決まり! ごぼうと牛肉はあいますね。ごぼう、こんにゃく、牛肉できんぴらごぼうをつくるのですが、このお料理の方が少し手が省けそうで、でも見た目はもっとおいしそう。三つ葉のかわりに、庭にあるサラダ水菜を使います。おとしブタ、可愛い! ブタさんが鼻から蒸気を出している姿を想像します。

    Yoko

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    Replies
    1. コメントありがとうございます。そうですか、牛肉入りのきんぴらは初めて聞きました。 ようし、試してみよう! 水菜大好きです。私も来年は庭に植えようと思います。

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  9. It looks so nutritious and flavourful!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Angie. The deep dish pear tart looks gorgeous!

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  10. Lucky you to have burdock! I love it so much... I always take tons of kinpira for breakfast in our hotel in Tokyo... I cannot find it here alas. The stew looks fabulous. So comforting but so light and healthy (typical for Japanese food!).

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    1. Thank you Sissi! I love kinpira gobo too. I'm so glad you like what I like.

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  11. Looks delicious and so perfect for winter days!

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  12. 私もこの献立は、好きでよく作ります。卵はなしですが。少し甘辛く煮たごぼうとお肉はよくあいますね。これは日本的だと思うんですが、アメリカの人たちも食べられるのですね。Have a nice day!

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    1. ありがとうございます。 いえ、まだまだごぼうが何であるか知らないアメリカ人は多いです。 ふつうのマーケットでは見かけないです。主人がごぼう料理大好きです。特にきんぴらとか、ごぼうの天ぷらとか。 かなり日本人化して来てると思います。 ブログを見て、奈良にまた行きたくなりました。

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  13. Wonderful! I've never eaten burdock...

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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