[Anime Culture Monday] Anime Recipes! Kinpira Gobou (Shokugeki no Souma Ni no Sara)

8:00 AM December 26, 2016

It is time to yet again, head straight to the kitchen. Do you reach for the fridge? No…. Do you reach for some fruit? No… Do you reach for the pantry? Well… kinda. You are reaching for ingredients and an apron. Why? Because it’s time to make the next epic dish from our “eat like your anime faves” series! That’s right, it’s time once again just like Souma did to rise to the challenge and stand above everyone with your superior cooking skills! We are pretty sure that we could write a whole year of Eat Like Your Anime Faves, using only food shown in Shokugeki no Souma, and we would not run out of topics. With that being said, let’s talk about what we are using today!

Kinpira Gobou (Braised Burdock Root with Carrots) from Shokugeki no Souma: Ni no Sara

This time, the ever popular food anime from Summer 2016 yet again, brings us another delectable side dish in Japanese culture. Kinpira Gobou. Now, to get your inquisitive mind up to speed, Kinpira is actually a whole class of dishes, while kinpira gobou falls under the umbrella of kinpira. Kinpira itself is written with the Japanese kanji for “gold” and “flat”. Well, when you sauté something, it becomes shiny correct? Oh, and when you then simmer it, it becomes flat right? Bingo. You now understand what kinpira is! Kinpira dishes are used most often in Japanese cooking with their root veggies. What are root veggies? Carrots, Lotus Root, and Gobou are the main ones. However, it is not a stretch to see things like tofu, seaweed, or meat mixed in as well.

Gobou means “burdock root” and is a flat root that can be seen in temperate areas of the world. Burdock root is actually considered an invasive species in the west, but in Japan, and other parts of Asia, it is actually eaten! Gobou will have an earthy, bitter taste, and in order to get rid of that, you need to soak it in water, assuming that the gobou you get has not been already, for about 5-10 minutes in water. Be sure to slice it up diagonally before you do, though! Let’s take a look at some of the options you have with gobou!

Often consumed either at lunch, dinner, or in bentos, Kinpira Gobou is quite delicious and uses those backbone ingredients of Japanese cooking that we see time and time again; soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. It, of course, made its debut in the first episode of the second season of Shokugeki no Souma. “Why?” you may ask. It is because Japanese people LOVE this dish and it is eaten very frequently. Kinpira Gobou is also a popular dish among dieters. It can even go well with a nice cold glass of tea or beer! Well, let’s get right on into it!

常備菜にも！【基本のきんぴらごぼう】の作り方 https://t.co/pbC3jQ10ea #クックパッド pic.twitter.com/hBS1AbAKAf
— クックパッドニュース (@cookpad_news) September 14, 2016

What you will need:( Note: Serves one person. If you make more, it could serve two or more! )

gobou (burdock root)

100g (1/2 lb)

carrots

100g (1/2 lb)

soy sauce

1 tbsp

mirin (sweet rice wine)

1 tbsp

cooking wine/sake

1 tbsp

sugar

2 tsp

Sesame seeds to taste

Optional Notes:

Yet again, it is those backbone ingredients featured. If you make one of our recipes and have those ingredients, it is easy to make more! We are giving you the basics to start off with and master. Once you have that, you can always add things to it to give it more like lotus root, daikon(radish), or even tofu! The choice is yours. Just remember for each ingredient you add, you need to increase the other wet ingredients.

How to Cook It:

1
If you are using fresh burdock root, you need to wash it, slice it diagonally making about 2cm pieces, and then you need to soak it for at least 10 minutes in water. If you want to be safe, repeat the process twice or three times.
2
Next, slice your carrots very thinly. Think like half the width of a shoestring french fry. If you cannot do that because it is a bit tricky/dangerous, then go for about the width of a shoestring french fry.
3
If you are using any other ingredients like leftover lotus root or anything else, please add it to the other veggies now.
4
Begin to heat up a little bit of oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
5
Add in all of the veggies that you are going to use. Stir fry/sauté them by moving them around quickly in the frying pan.
6
Mix together the soy sauce, mirin, cooking wine/sake, and sugar and stir until all of the sugar has dissolved or mixed in.
7
Once that has been completed, pour this into the frying pan with the veggies and stir quickly.
8
Once the liquid has begun to evaporate and the pan is beginning to become a bit sticky, cut the heat and stir quickly a few times. You will know if it is right as your pan will be bubbling.
9
Transfer to a bowl, plates are no good because they will be very difficult to get the food off of, and adorn with sesame seeds and mix lightly. If you are using a bowl like we said, then a simple shake or two should be all you need to get it to mix well.
10
Dig in!

(Note: Knives. Be really careful when slicing the vegetables, especially, the burdock root. )

If you did everything right, it should come out looking something like this!

Yum!

Final Thought

There you have it! We have brought you through yet another cooking journey where food was REALLY the focus of the story. Burdock root is much more versatile than you make think. If you are looking for something that is a bit different, gobou salad is another option where you slice it all up thinly and then make macaroni or potato salad but sans the macaroni or potato!

This one is for more of those, though, who find themselves hooked on it after trying it. Cooking is as easy as 1-2-3, and you have us here at Honey’s Anime to guide you along the way. While some can seem more difficult than others, remember that your favorite anime characters, especially those from Shokugeki no Souma, never ever backed down, but rather took every challenge head-on. You can do it and we believe in you! Please let us know if there is ever anything that you would like us to write up on this series. Until next time!

Editor/Translator

Author: Nagareboshi

American by birth; international by choice. I am trying to bring attention to one of my favorite causes; me. I translate by day and write by night. Aspiring polyglot. My dream would be to be the personal translator for Amuro Namie. Other than that, my hobbies include languages, weightlifting, sleeping, karaoke, GOOD coffee and music. When I’m not doing any of the above, I am most likely laughing hysterically at Willam Belli videos or EV farming. I ain’t gunna Rupologize for it neither. Waifu are Shirai Kuroko & Euaerin.

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