One-Pot Rice Cooker Meal with Burdock Root (牛蒡燜飯)
This earthy and umami Rice Cooker Meal with Burdock Root is a God-send meal when you feel lazy! One-pot and zero-stove cooking required. 💯
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This rice cooker meal is a riff on takikomi gohan (炊き込みご飯), or Japanese mixed rice dish made with different kinds of vegetables and animal proteins (sometimes also referred to as gomoku gohan or 五目ご飯), and mostly inspired by my laziness in cooking sometimes (or a lot of times).
Feeling Soupy? Instant Pot Burdock Root Soup is another one-pot recipe and requires zero stove cooking!
Want some protein? Stir-Fried Burdock Root with Eggs is a quick and easy, crowd-pleasing, protein-packed dish!
Burdock Root in Chinese
Burdock root is called Niú Bàng (牛蒡) or Niú Bàng Gēn (牛蒡根) in Chinese, with the former being more commonly used (Gēn or 根 means roots).
What is Burdock Root?
Appearance: Burdock roots, native to Europe and Asia, look and smell a bit similar to ginseng and are sometimes referred to as oriental ginseng (actual ginsengs are mostly produced in North America, particularly in the American state of Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario) while being much cheaper and with more culinary uses.
Taste and Texture: Raw burdock root tastes like a less bitter and more earthy version of daikon radish and is drier in texture than daikon radish. Depending on how it is cooked, burdock roots can taste quite similar to bamboo shoots (slightly sweet and earthy) but their texture can be quite dry and takes some chewing power (not as tender as bamboo shoots).
Burdock roots have traditionally been used as a blood purifier, diuretic, and topical remedy for skin conditions. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the seeds of the greater burdock plant and its roots are considered to have a cooling effect when consumed. And “cool” foods are believed to help reduce excess internal heat and fight inflammation in the body.
It is a well-known food ingredient in Chinese cooking but seems to be much more popular among Japanese home cooks, which is why you might see more Japanese recipes for burdock roots, most notably kinpira gobo (braised burdock roots with carrots).
You will most likely find fresh burdock root only in Asian grocery stores.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Burdock Roots: Similar to potatoes, burdock root’s skin is edible but I prefer to peel it.
- Shiitake Mushrooms: I prefer to use fresh shiitake mushrooms but you can also use dried shiitake mushrooms.
- Substitution: Not recommended.
- Carrots: Melt-in-your-mouth and so delicious after being cooked! And adds a pop of color to this dish.
- Substitution: Not recommended. Burdock roots and carrots are a (root vegetable) match made in heaven (or IN earth?)!
- Peas: The perfect pairing to carrots, with contrasting colors and different textures.
- Substitution: You can substitute for corn if you don’t like peas. Better yet, use both peas and corn!
- Rice Sauce: This sauce is essential for bringing everything in this dish together! Substitution is not recommended.
- Light Soy Sauce: I feel like light soy sauce hits the front part of your tongue and adds to the initial savory taste.
- Dark Soy Sauce: I feel like dark soy sauce hits the back part of your tongue (closer to where your mouth and nasal cavities join), which adds to the aroma and the overall savory profile! It also enhances the brown coloring.
- Sesame Oil: Adds to the natural sweet earthy aroma and flavor profile of this dish.
- Sugar: To counterbalance the saltiness of the two kinds of soy sauces.
- Rice: White medium to short-grain rice would work best in terms of taste (it absorbs the flavors from all the other ingredients well) and texture (unless you are like me and enjoy the chewiness from brown rice—and can use the extra fiber!).
- I use white medium-grain rice in this recipe.
- Substitution: You can substitute for brown rice or semi-brown rice. Just make sure to use an adequate amount of water according to how they are cooked.
- Water: Equal cups of cold water to the cups of rice used, or however instructed by your rice cooking machine based on the type of rice you use.
- Substitution: You can substitute for partial dashi stock and reduce the tablespoon of soy sauce used.
- (Optional Addition) Sesame Seed: Sprinkle some white sesame seeds on top of the rice for a nutty enhancement!
- (Optional Addition) Green Onion: Sprinkle some chopped green onions on top of the rice to brighten up the dish, both in color and taste!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Here is a quick recipe run down and some visual instructions! The full instructions with ingredients are in the recipe card below.
Prepare the produce:
Wash the rice:
Make the rice sauce:
Prepare the rice for cooking:
Rice Cooking Tips (MUST READ!)
- Portion the rice sauce – ½ for flavoring rice and ½ for flavoring vegetables
- Prepare the rice for cooking as you normally would. For example, I use medium-grain white rice and a 1:1 rice-to-water ratio in my Zojirushi rice cooker.
- Add half of the rice sauce to the rice and MIX WELL. This ensures all the rice grains will be properly cooked with the sauce-integrated water.
- Make sure the rice is properly submerged in enough liquid.
- Drizzle the remaining half of the rice sauce onto the vegetables and DO NOT MIX. Not mixing at this step is crucial as the rice is best cooked when properly submerged in an adequate amount of liquid. If you mix everything, some rice will come out not fully cooked.
Recipe Help and Common Questions
Burdock root can last 2-3 weeks if wrapped with damp paper towels and saran wrap (or in an airtight bag).
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave or on the stovetop (steam or pan-fried).
One-Pot Rice Cooker Meal with Burdock Root
Ingredients
To make the rice cooker meal with burdock root
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 cup water for rice cooking
- 1 stick burdock root julienned
- ½ medium carrot julienned
- 3 pieces shiitake mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup peas I use frozen
To make the rice sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Equipment
- 1 Rice Cooker I use a Zojirushi rice cooker
Instructions
For preparing the produce:
To prepare the burdock root
- Rinse the burdock root under water to remove any dirt and then peel.
- Cut the burdock root into shorter sections, then into thin slices, then into matchstick-like strips. Set aside.
To prepare the carrot
- Rinse the carrot under water to remove any dirt and then peel.
- Cut the carrot into shorter sections, then into thin slices, then into matchstick-like strips. Set aside.
To prepare the shiitake mushrooms
- Rinse the mushrooms under water to remove any dirt and then cut them into slices. Set aside.
For making the rice sauce:
- In a small mixing bowl, add all the sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
For making the rice cooker meal:
1) Wash rice
- Add rice and enough tap water in the rice cooker's inner pot, fully submerging the rice.
- Use your hand to stir and wash the rice. The water will turn milky.
- Discard the milky water and repeat the process until the water becomes clearer (a little bit murky is okay), about three rounds total.
2) Prepare rice for cooking
- Prepare the rice for cooking as you normally would in the rice cooker's inner pot by adding the rinsed rice and water for rice cooking. For example, I use a 1:1 water-to-rice ratio to cook medium-grain white rice in a Zojirushi rice cooker.
- Add about half of the rice sauce to the submerged rice and mix well.
- Lay all the vegetables on top of the rice and DO NOT MIX.
- Not mixing at this step is very important as the rice is best cooked when fully submerged in an adequate amount of liquid. If you mix everything, the water will be more evenly distributed amongst all the ingredients versus just on the rice and some rice will come out not fully cooked. The vegetables will be cooked during the time it takes to cook the rice.
- Drizzle the remaining half of the rice sauce on top of the laid vegetables. Again, DO NOT MIX.
3) Cook rice
- Press the "Cooking / Reheat" setting to begin the rice cooking process.
- Once the rice is done cooking, open the rice cooker, use a rice paddle to stir and mix the cooked rice and vegetables, and select the "Keep Warm" setting.
- Close the lid to let the rice "cook" for another 2-3 minutes. It is best to set a timer because the rice cooker will not remind you about the time, as it has completed its cooking function.
Serve and enjoy!
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Notes
- Prepare the rice for cooking as you normally would. For example, I use medium-grain white rice and a 1:1 rice-to-water ratio in my Zojirushi rice cooker.
- Add half of the rice sauce to the rice and MIX WELL.
- This ensures all the rice grains will be properly cooked with the sauce-integrated water.
- Drizzle the remaining half of the rice sauce onto the vegetables and DO NOT MIX.
- Not mixing at this step is crucial as the rice is best cooked when properly submerged in an adequate amount of liquid. If you mix everything, some rice will come out not fully cooked.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated to the best of my knowledge using MyFitnessPal (which has a more comprehensive ingredient database that includes Asian food items) and is an estimate. Actual nutrition will vary based on the cooking method and specific ingredients used.
