While we here at Gastricurious don’t like to play favorites when it comes to regional cuisine, we also won’t hesitate to tell you that we LOVE Japanese-style food. And officially, we also wouldn’t dare to attempt to pick a favorite ingredient… but for me personally it’s mushrooms, hands down. So it is only fitting that we kick off our new site with a Japanese-inspired noodle bowl recipe that is loaded with mushrooms. Japanese staples taking the spotlight along the esteemed fungi include burdock root (aka. gobo), miso, sake, and two types of seaweed.
This one isn’t a traditional Japanese dish by any means, but rather an evolution of something Chele came up with to make use of some burdock root she had brought home from Mitsuwa (which aside from being delicious, is also one of the few foods that is beneficial for her lymphadema – we’ll have a profile for it up soon). This was originally intended to be a soup, but after a few tweaks and a liberal application of rice noodles, this turned into a ramen-like noodle dish in a rich, umami-drenched broth. Being a Chele-safe recipe, this one is gluten, dairy, and nightshade free (as long as you use a gluten-free soy sauce). This does contain fish in the form of bonito flakes, so vegans and those who can’t/won’t eat seafood should take note.
We think the toppings really adds to the presentation – not to mention the flavor – and really takes this recipe over the top. We listed what we used in our photo, but if you can’t get some of them, feel free to omit them or experiment with your own.
Mushroom and Burdock Root Noodle Bowls in Miso-Seaweed Broth
Ingredients
Dashi Broth:
- 6 cups water
- 6” piece dashi konbu (kelp)
- ¼ cup bonito flakes
For the Soup:
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 cups burdock root ,thinly sliced into coins or on the bias
- 20 cloves garlic ,roughly chopped
- 3.5 oz cluster of shimeji mushrooms
- 2 cups shiitake mushroom caps ,sliced
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup cooking sake
- 1 generous Tbs miso paste
- 2 sheets nori ,torn into pieces
- Cooked vermecelli- or ramen-style rice noodles ,if desired
For Topping (optional):
- shredded green onion
- hard-boiled quail eggs
- pickled ginger
- bonito flakes
- mizuna or microgreens
Instructions
- Add water to a large pot. Briefly rinse kelp or wipe it clean with a damp cloth. Add to pot and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes (soak longer for stronger flavor).
- Heat over medium flame and monitor closely. Remove the konbu from the pot just as the water begins to boil, and set aside. Add bonito flakes to the pot and boil until they no longer float, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the both through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the bonito flakes. Set dashi broth aside and discard bonito.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced burdock root and brown lightly on both sides (about 2 to 3 minutes per side). Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
- Return the dashi to the stove and bring back to a simmer. Add burdock and garlic. Simmer 5 minutes.
- While the burdock simmers, cut the base off of the cluster of shimeji mushrooms – you are looking to remove the bits of growing medium embedded in the bottom and just enough of the stems for the cluster to begin to separate (about the bottom half-inch or so). Pull the cluster apart by hand, allowing some of the mushrooms to stay joined together in groups of 2 or 3.
- Add shimeji and shiitake mushrooms, mirin, and cooking sake to the pot. Simmer an additional 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.
- Cut the reserved kelp you used to make the dashi into thin strips. Add it to the pot along with the miso paste. Simmer 5 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and stir in the nori.
- Portion noodles into serving bowls (if desired) and ladle soup over them. Pile on the toppings of your choice and serve.
Notes
- Burdock root (aka. gobo) is a staple in Japanese cuisine and is readily available at many Asian markets (we buy ours at Mitsuwa). It also occasionally turns up at Whole Foods and some traditional grocery stores, but it is typically cut into short pieces that dry out quickly and don’t keep long. Full size roots keep much longer. When fresh they should be firm, but tender and with a slight amount of flex to them. It will always look like a tree branch, but if it feels like one it is too old to eat.
- We leave the skin on the burdock when making this recipe, but feel free to peel it if you prefer. Just be aware that the flesh can discolor your skin slightly if you handle it. You may want to wear gloves if that is a concern.
- Dried kelp is typically sold under its Japanese name, konbu. It is readily available in Asian markets and specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods, or you can simply order it online. There are a wide range of grades available, but the variety you want for this recipe is called dashi konbu.
- Shimeji mushrooms are also known beech or clamshell mushrooms. There are brown and white varieties available, and both will work equally well. They are easiest to find at Asian markets (another one we get at Mitsuwa), but sometimes turn up at Whole Foods and other mainstream grocery stores. We prefer to keep the mushrooms clustered into bunched of two or three because we like the presentation, but feel free to fully separate them if you wish.
