Description: Nice combination of burdock and chikuwa fish cake. It really goes well with rice and beer. You may eat them as a Japanese izakaya dish (similar to Spanish tapas).
Serves: 2
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Chikuwa fish cake – chopped diagonally, 160g
• Burdock – chopped diagonally, 100g
• Dry chilli – chopped, 1 piece
• Sesame oil – 1 teaspoon
• Soy sauce – 1 teaspoon
• Mirin cooking wine – 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Peel the skin of the burdock and soak it in water for a few minutes.
2. In a non-stick frying pan, add sesame oil and dried chilli, then fry the burdock and chikuwa for a few minutes.
3. Add mirin, soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of water and cook them thoroughly until the water evaporates.

Nutritional Values Per Serving

Kcal	Protein	Fat	Carbs	Fibre	Sugars	Salt	Saturated Fat
147.2	10.4g	2.3g	19.6g	2.7g	6.0g	1.2g	0.3g
7.4%	20.8%	3.3%	7.5%	9.0%	6.7%	20.4%	1.7%

Nutritional tips

Chikuwa (竹輪) is a Japanese fish cake and its name means “bamboo ring” because it looks like bamboo when it is sliced. It can be eaten as it is, just like a little snack and is often used for simmered dishes such as oden, udon, hot pot or fried dishes such as yakisoba, and fried vegetables. It is a relatively low-fat protein source. It is typically made from surimi (fish paste), salt, sugar, starch, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and egg white. After mixing all the ingredients, it is wrapped around a stick, and then steamed or broiled.

Burdock root is generally known as “greater burdock” or “gobo: 牛蒡/ゴボウ)”, scientifically as “Arctium lappa” and it is an underground tuber of the greater burdock plant. Burdock roots are also low in sugar, fat, sodium and moderately low calories for vegetables (72 kcal per 100g: USDA) and a good source of potassium. Their skin is a dark brown colour and looks like a tree branch, and tastes crunchy and fibrous. Once it is exposed to the air after cutting, it starts oxidising and becomes pink, dark or grey. To avoid this, it is recommended to soak the slices in water or vinegar, although it is better not to soak for too long to prevent losing nutrients.

This dish can provide some protein, and carbs with low fat whilst there are not so many minerals and vitamins. This dish is good for a side dish but not for a main dish as it would only provide some proteins and carbs with little vitamins and minerals, but it would also boost the salt intake. Therefore, it is important to eat some more carbs (rice, quinoa, bread, pasta etc), proteins (beans, meat, fish etc) and some vegetables, fruits and daily for more vitamins, minerals and fibre.