Autumn is a good time to start eating more root vegetables. Burdock root (ueong, 우엉) is very popular in Korea and other Asian countries. It’s full of nutrients and an excellent source of fiber. I love the root’s sweet, earthy flavor and crisp, chewy texture! Ueong jorim (우엉 조림) is a simple dish to make by lightly braising in a sweet, soy sauce.
Gently scrape off the skin with a knife or the back of a knife. Since the root is pretty fibrous, I like to cut it into match sticks. Once it’s cut, the root will turn brown quickly. You can soak it in vinegar water to prevent discoloring, but it’s really not necessary for this dish as it will be braised in a dark sauce anyway. You will lose some flavor if you soak in water.
Ueong jorim is simply delicious as a side dish for any Korean meal. It’s also great as a gimbap filling.
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Ingredients
- 1 burdock root about 1/2 pound
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil or perilla seed oil - deulgireum, 들기름
- 1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice syrup jocheong, 조청 or corn syrup (mulyeot, 물엿)
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Rinse the root. Cut into 2 long pieces. Scrape off the skin with a knife or the back of a knife.
- Cut each piece diagonally into thin slices. Gather a few thin slices at a time, and cut into match sticks.
- Heat a pan. Add the burdock root and a tablespoon of sesame oil or perilla seed oil. Stir-fry until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add 4 tablespoons water, the soy sauce, and rice syrup. Simmer over medium low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 7 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
here is a really weird question – i want to make the gimbap today and due to quarantine, can not go out to buy burdock. question is, could i try it with potatoes ? or just skip it completely for the Gimbap ?
you can just skip it, and add more of other ingredients that you’re using. I haven’t used potatoes in my gimbap, but you can practically use anything for gimbap. That versatile!
Hi Mrs. Ro,
I am really excited to try this recipe. A question I have is can honey or sugar be used instead of rice or corn syrup? Thank you for sharing this recipe. ๐
Sure. Use honey, a little less than the amount for corn syrup because honey is sweeter.
The taste isn’t sweet. Did I do something wrong?
It should be slightly sweet if you used the corn syrup as specified in the recipe. If you did and it’s still not sweet enough, use some more or add some sugar. Hope this helps. Cheers!
I love this recipe!! It’s simple yet so delicious.
For how long can we keep this in the fridge?
It should be fine for 2 to 3 weeks. Enjoy!