Japanese Burdock Root and Pork Stir-Fry, a Little Sweet and Savory Combo on the Plate

If a little extra labor work is not a problem for you, I would say 80% of the time try to shave the Japanese burdock root with a knife. And don't worry about uneven thickness. The goal is aiming for the uneven, flat, and wide cutting surface.

That way, you can get the most flavor out of burdock root, and on the other hand, the burdock root slices get to absorb most of seasonings in the dish. Just a bit of muscle work though. If that sounds too troublesome or tiring, simply cut the burdock root into thin sectioned strips instead.

Japanese burdock root and pork stir-fry - 

Ingredients?

• 2 feet/about 60 centimeter long burdock root
• 500 grams pork belly slices
• 1 big garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some toasted white sesame seeds

Sauce mixture:

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon sake or Chinese rice wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar

How?

It's up to you if you would like to peel the burdock root or not. I usually do due to texture preference. 

So have a big bowl filled with icy cold water. While shaving down the burdock root or cutting through it, transfer the burdock root to the water. Just let it sit there while prepping other ingredients.

Use semi-fatty pork slices, this will help giving a smoother bite to the woody burdock root in the end. Slice the pork to smaller or shorter pieces if needed. Mix the pork slices with 1 tablespoon of corn starch all around. Peel and grate one big garlic clove.

Premix the sauce by combining 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of mirin, 1 tablespoon of sake or Chinese rice wine, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Try to stir a bit to help the sugar dissolve.

When ready to cook, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and switch to medium heat. Add in grated garlic and let it warm up a little. Just a quick moment, otherwise the heat will burn the garlic soon after.

Drain out the water for the burdock root. Further pat dry with paper towel then add to the pan. Switch to medium high heat here since there's no more worries about burning the grated garlic. Stir-fry and cook for couple minutes.

Push burdock root to the side then add in the pork to empty area. Cook till separated and about set. You can also stir-fry a bit to break the pork from sticking to one another.

Pour in the premixed sauce and stir-fry with all the ingredients in the pan. Make sure everything has been coated with the seasonings. Continue to cook till the sauce has been reduced and even appear darker brown on some parts.

Plate and sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds.

By the way, I got this premium double roasted white sesame seeds from Kuki 九鬼, a prestigious brand from Japan. The easiest way to describe its aroma difference is by comparing to the regular white sesame seeds that we often tasted.

Such as the white sesame seeds from a bun then. Frankly speaking, it basically tasted like nothing. But the double roasted white sesame seeds I've got here, was like 10 times the nutty aroma. More so like a milder version of peanut butter. Highly recommended to give it a try if you ever find one at the supermarket.

Other recipes using burdock root (gobo):

• Kinpira gobo きんぴらごぼう (burdock root cooked in Japanese seasonings)
• Chicken and gobo takikomi gohan (鶏ごぼうの炊き込みご飯)
• Not quite the regular miso soup, it's tonjiru time (豚汁)

Spice Marinated Lamb Shoulder with Flat Leaf Parsley Salad (Surprisingly Tender Meat)

Mister doesn't really eat lamb, so all these 400 grams of lamb shoulder were all for myself. Too bad for Mister from my point of view because I know the lamb would be packed with flavors due to the spices used, but the meat was surprisingly tender too. Consider this a "monopolistic" feast solely tailored to my preferred taste.  

Spice marinated lamb shoulder with flat leaf parsley salad - 

Ingredients?

• 400 grams lamb shoulder
• 2 bulbs shallots 
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon all spice
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Flat leaf parsley salad:

• 1 small bundle flat leaf parsley
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 red onion
• 1 garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

How?

Peel and chop 2 garlic cloves. Peel and chop the shallots, we will need about 3 tablespoons here. Mix these two together with the seasonings in a big container, that means 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of all spice, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon of coriander, 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Trim and slice the lamb shoulder to large bite size pieces then add to the container. Massage and rub in these spices. Cover with lid and store in the fridge overnight. 

When ready to bake/roast the meat, take out the lamb from the fridge and rest under room temperature for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil if needed, also preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/175 degrees Celsius.

Transfer the lamb to prepped baking sheet then into the oven and bake for at least an hour.

During baking, let's make the flat leaf parsley salad. Trim the parsley by removing any tougher stems, also give the leafy part a few chops. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Peel and grate one garlic clove. 

Have a bowl of icy cold water ready and separate the onion slices in the water. Soak till ready to assemble the salad. This will help drawing out some of that spicy smelly onion flavor. 

For the vinaigrette, mix together that grated garlic, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of mustard, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. 

Have a medium large bowl ready, add in drain and well dried onion slices along with halved cherry tomatoes and flat leaf parsley. Toss together with the vinaigrette.

When the lamb finishes baking in the oven, remove from heat and rest under room temperature for 10 minutes. Once ready, transfer to serving plate and serve with salad on the side.

The tangy salad works extremely well with spiced lamb shoulder. I think it's something about lamb and vinaigrette. They truly fit together, like one can cut through the distinct taste of lamb and the other can smooth out the sourish note from the dressing.

Either way, I'm somehow glad that Mister won't be fighting over this lamb and salad combo with me.