You Too Can Be A Burdock Convertock

by Judy Sobeloff, from the March 2003 newsletter

"It looks like something you'd use to kill a vampire, like a demented potato in stick form," Fred, my husband, said. My 15-month-old daughter, Jonna, repeatedly reached for the wand-like stalk in my hand but then ran away as soon as I offered it to her, attracted and repelled by it again and again, the same way she reacted later that evening to a blue monster puppet.

If you've spent any time traipsing around the countryside, you've probably encountered burdock; you've probably brushed up against some and become quite attached—bringing home its burrs. The burdock plant, with its crown of burrs and long narrow root which extends as far as three feet down, is a member of the thistle family, growing in damp soil in fields and pastures all over North America and England.

What, then, is the lure of burdock? Why are those fierce-looking burdock roots lying in a basket in the co-op produce department? And what is dried burdock doing over there in an herbal bulk bin?

"Burdock can be termed a health food simply by virtue of its high fiber and low calorie content," writes Terra Brockman on the Conscious Choice Web site. "It is also a very good source of potassium and a moderate source of iron and calcium."

According to local herbalist Linda Kingsbury, Ph.D., burdock root is high in magnesium and other vitamins and minerals as well.

She says, "Traditionally, burdock root is used in herbal medicine as a tonic in tea or tincture form. After eating a lot of high-fat, high-protein foods in winter, people use it as a tea for a kind of 'spring cleaning.'" People also use the tea to treat acne and eczema, Kingsbury noted, both of which are seen as possible signs of imbalance of liver and kidney functioning. She added that the tea can be used for emotional healing, too, "to help process feelings of resentment."

Health benefits are only part of burdock's appeal. Burdock root is "good and good for ya," as my friend Wendy would say. I used burdock root in three different recipes, all of which were easy and surprisingly delicious. I say "surprisingly" because the root's tough demeanor does not lead one to expect such a tender, almost sweet, delicate interior.

With burdock root, preparing it is half the fun. The Dane County Farmers' Market Web site instructs: "Scrub the root well, but don't peel—the skin contains the nutrition and flavor." I invested in my very first vegetable scrubber ($1.99 at the co-op) for this project and found scrubbing burdock root to be invigorating and satisfying: the root quickly sheds its dark coat, revealing a lovely pale underbelly. I scrubbed so vigorously, so excited to be doing something that yielded such concrete results, that the counter and walls by the sink were splattered with black particles of burdock residue when I finally looked up.

The Dane County Farmers' Market site suggests burdock root be "steamed, stir-fried, or added to soups and stews," or used in other root recipes, such as those calling for "rutabagas, celeriac, turnips, etc." For my first foray with burdock, I chose basic "Burdock Chips," thinking that anything fried with oil and salt, including peelings of burdock root, was bound to be good. The results tasted like exotic, warm potato chips, reminiscent of shoestring potatoes, and caused Fred to burst forth in French. "Laissez les bon temps roulez!" he said. "It's good—it has a fast-food quality." Jonna twirled her first piece in the air and ate it without comment, then waved her hands together with urgency, her version of baby sign language asking for more.

The next dish I made was "Kimpira Gobo," which, according to Brockman of Conscious Choice, is the most popular way to prepare burdock root in Japan. Kimpira involves cutting burdock root and carrots into matchstick-size pieces and then sautéing them with sesame oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. When I threw the sesame seeds into the hot pan, they shot up like fireworks—no turning back now! Just at that moment of highest drama, though, Jonna woke up from her nap, so I sat with her on my lap in a roller chair, reaching over my head to stir the contents of the pan while nursing. (I know not everyone keeps office furniture in the kitchen; with any luck it shouldn't be necessary.) I brought the kimpira to my baby group, and the moms all really liked it. My friend Daquarii particularly praised the texture for not being mushy. Because of this "good texture" we didn't feed the kimpira to our young toddlers, but older children who are open to trying new foods would probably like kimpira too.

The final dish I made, which was especially delicious, was also from Brockman's site, "Brown Rice with Burdock and Mushrooms." How often does one get to make a recipe that calls for whittling? This was my first time cooking with shiitake mushrooms, something I'd eyed in the produce department but never claimed as my own. Not having a container that could be used both on the stove and in the oven, I brought the rice mixture to a boil in a regular pot and then transferred it to a Pyrex baking dish, using a Pyrex pan as a makeshift lid, which worked fine. This recipe was easy like the others, though with a longer unsupervised cooking time; the burdock root here was soft enough for a toddler to eat but by the time dinner was ready, she was asleep.

Burdock Chips—L'étoile Restaurant (Dane County Farmers' Market Web site)

burdock roots
vegetable oil
salt to taste

Make thin slices of the roots using a vegetable peeler. Fry slices until crispy in oil heated to 325 degrees. Remove from oil, and sprinkle with salt.

Hiroko's Kimpira Gobo (Stir-Fried Burdock And Carrots With Sesame And Soy) (Adapted from Conscious Choice Web site)

2 cups prepared burdock
2 cups prepared carrots
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsps. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1. Prepare the burdock and carrots in the same way, by washing and scraping the outer skin (don't peel), then cut into matchstick-sized pieces. As you're cutting the burdock, throw the pieces into a bowl of cold water to prevent them from turning brown in the air.
2. In a large skillet or wok, heat the vegetable oil and sesame oil together. When it's hot, sprinkle in the sesame seeds and cook, stirring, for about a minute.
3. Drain the burdock and add it and the carrots to the pan. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for about five to seven minutes.
4. Add soy sauce and continue stir-frying for about ten minutes. The burdock will change color from milky white to shiny gray/brown. It will be crisp, crunchy, earthy, and delicious.

Brown Rice With Burdock And Mushrooms (Adapted from Conscious Choice Web site)

4 medium shiitake
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (optional)
1 medium burdock root (about 1/4 pound)
Cold, salted water for soaking burdock root
2 cups cold water for cooking rice
1 cup long-grain brown rice
1 small carrot and/or parsnip, sliced
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Cut shiitake caps into thin strips.
2. Scrub burdock and whittle it off in slivers, placing them in cold salted water as you proceed. Soak five minutes. Drain burdock and place in a heavy ovenproof pan with 2 cups water, optional oil, mushrooms, rice, carrot, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from the stove and cover. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven 45 minutes. Let stand 15-30 minutes. Uncover, fluff, and serve.

Spring Tonic Tea (From Linda Kingsbury)
Combine dried burdock root with dried dandelion root, dried red clover blossoms, and dried peppermint. Add 1 cup boiling water to 1 tsp. dried root mix. Steep covered 1/2 hour.

REFERENCES
**Brockman, Terra. "Burdock Root." Conscious Choice. February, 2001. <http://www.consciouschoice.com/>

**Dane County Farmers' Market. "Burdock Root." <http://64.224.162.148/dcfm/print/burdock.htm>s

**Linda Kingsbury, Ph.D., can be reached by email or (208) 883-9933.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

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