This rice is a great addition to your arsenal not only because rice with mushrooms is a killer combination, but because it’s full of flavor and simple to make.
I was inspired to make rice with burdock after having an amazing version of this at a Japanese vegetarian restaurant called Kajitsu here in New York a while back. I loved it so much—it was so simple but so delicious—and decided I needed to try it.
Burdock root is not too common in some parts of the world so if you don’t find it, don’t worry. The shiitakes themselves give it so much flavor so it’s fine to omit. But if you do find burdock, use it because it gives a beautiful earthy flavor to the dish.
This rice is perfect for when you’re craving some comforting whole foods with tons of flavor.
The key to tasty rice is to cook it in vegetable stock so don’t skip the broth! You can easily make a quick broth with the burdock peel, orange peel, celery, garlic, and onion skins that you’ll have leftover from this recipe.
If you don’t have shiitake mushrooms, use cremini, oyster, or king oyster mushrooms.
If you prefer a less fiber-heavy meal, you can always substitute brown rice for white rice.
If you don’t have sesame oil olive oil is fine.
Use water instead of vegetable broth (but I recommend you do this only as a last resort as the vegetable broth is important for flavor!)
For this burdock and shiitake rice, you’re only going to need a chopping board, knife, large pan with a lid, and a wooden spoon to stir.
Serve this rice as an entrée, a side, or use it as a filling for bell peppers, avocado, squash, inside lettuce cups, radicchio, iceberg lettuce…
160g large shiitake caps
50g sliced onions
40ml olive oil
7ml toasted sesame oil
25g minced garlic
22g ginger, julienne
185g thinly peeled, thinly sliced burdock
380g short-grain brown rice, soaked in water overnight
950ml warm veggie broth
1 pinch 5-spice blend
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh parsley leaves
Fresh celery leaves (optional)
Score the shiitake caps in a checkered pattern.
Heat 20ml of olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat and sear the shitakes top-down in the pan until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the rest of the olive oil and the sesame oil to the pan, then add burdock, ginger, onion, and garlic. Cook on medium flame for 6 minutes, or slightly golden. Add the pinch of 5-spice and salt and stir to combine.
Add rice, vegetable stock, and another pinch of salt. At this point, taste the liquid—it should be a little salty. Place seared shiitake caps seared-side-up on top of the rice, cover, and bring it to a boil. Cook for 40 minutes on medium-low flame or until the rice is cooked (it’s fine if a little crust forms at the bottom of the pan—that’s heavenly!).
To finish, uncover the pan and add parsley and celery leaves on top of the rice. Serve in the pan or divide on to serving plates.
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