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Kinpira (Burdock and Carrot) by

Serves 4

Kinpira is one of the classic Japanese home-cooked dishes, featuring two great root vegetables, burdock and carrots. In this sauteed dish the burdock combines beautifully with the sweet carrots, red peppers and roasted sesame seeds. Crunchy, soft, sweet and hot, no wonder this Japanese recipe is a popular winter dish in Japan.

Burdock, or gobo, is a fiber-rich Japanese root vegetable with a delectable earthiness. Look for burdock at Japanese markets or gourmet supermarkets.

Ingredients

1 medium (8 ounce) burdock root

1 tablespoon canola oil or rice bran oil

2 dried Japanese (or Thai chili, Santaka or Szechuan) red peppers

1 cup carrot, cut into matchstick-sized slivers

1 tablespoon sake (rice wine)

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons mirin (a cooking wine made from glutenous rice)

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon toasted and ground sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Scrub the exterior of the burdock root with a vegetable brush to remove excess dirt and the skin. Cut the burdock root into 2½ to 3-inch-long matchsticks, and rinse quickly under cold water. You will have approximately 2 cups of burdock root matchsticks.

2. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red peppers and saute for 30 seconds. Add the burdock root and saute until tender, about 3 minutes; it will appear translucent on the surface. Stir in the carrot and saute for 2 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat to low and add the sake, soy, mirin, and sugar. Stir the vegetables for 1 minute more to allow them to absorb the sauce. Remove and discard the red peppers and arrange the vegetables in a mound in the center of a serving bowl and garnish with the sesame seeds.

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