East Honolulu resident Sammie Mina cooks this appetizer often for her husband, Rudy, as it is one of his most requested dishes. She learned the recipe from her mother, Yang Ae Yee, in Seoul. Burdock root, also known as gobo, has a distinctive texture and smell. Cut into julienne strips, it is a favorite pupu or side dish. Made without seafood or meat, it is flavored with chile peppers, soy sauce, sugar, mirin and sake. Cooked until tender, the root remains delightfully crisp and flavorful.

Scared of spice? Use fewer peppers. Want a kick? Add more! The most time-consuming step is cutting the root into strips, but the result is flavorful and is worth the labor. Four stalks may seem like a huge amount of gobo, but the vegetable cooks down to four cups.

In this recipe, the individual steps add up to great taste; using dried seaweed adds flavor to the cooking water, and soaking the gobo in vinegar water keeps it white.

The only garnish needed is toasted sesame seeds that you can buy in an Asian market (or lightly cook raw seeds in a skillet). The result is a winning dish.

Korean Burdock Appetizer

Ingredients:
• 3 pieces 1-by-1 1/2-inch dried seaweed (dashima, konbu)
• 4 stalks burdock root (gobo)
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 6 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce (or 4 tablespoons regular)
• 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• 4-6 Hawaiian chile peppers

Directions:

Soak dried seaweed in 1 cup water for at least 15 minutes. Cut gobo (burdock) in half for ease of handling. Peel, rinse and cut each piece into 4 logs. Cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch matchsticks or julienne cuts.

Place in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons vinegar and water to cover for at least 10 minutes. In another bowl, mix the seaweed water (after removing seaweed), soy sauce, sugar, mirin and sake. Keep seaweed for another use or discard. Drain gobo and rinse. Drain again. In a large skillet on high heat, add oil. Add the drained gobo and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until it turns translucent. Add sauce and cover for 15 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes. Remove stems from chile peppers and chop, including the seeds. Add chile peppers and reduce to low heat for 10 minutes. Add sesame seeds and stir. Liquid should have been absorbed.

Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Makes about 4 cups and keeps in refrigerator for a week.