Hearty and Nutritious Burdock Root Rice (Sot-bap)
Effortless Burdock Root Rice in a Pressure Cooker: A Wholesome One-Bowl Meal
Nutritious rice dishes, like sot-bap (rice cooked in a pot) or nabe-bap (rice cooked in a saucepan), are easy to make at home. You can achieve equally delicious results using a pressure cooker! This recipe is perfect for a satisfying and healthy one-bowl meal, featuring the savory depth of burdock root combined with a medley of vegetables and protein.
Main Ingredients- 2 cups rice
- 2 cups water (for cooking rice)
- 1 piece dried kelp (kombu, approx. 5×5 cm)
- 159g burdock root (cleaned and prepared weight)
- 1 cup carrots (cut into thick julienne)
- 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms (cut into thick julienne)
- 2 sheets fried fish cake (or 1/2 sheet fried tofu pouch, cut into thick julienne)
- 100g chicken breast (or chicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces)
- Sesame oil (for drizzling)
Burdock Braising Sauce- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp cheongju (rice wine)
- 2 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp cheongju (rice wine)
- 2 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the ingredients that will go into the rice. Cut the carrots, fried fish cake (or fried tofu pouch), and fresh shiitake mushrooms into thick julienne strips, about 0.5 cm thick. If using fried tofu pouch, slice it into similar thick strips. Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.
Step 2
Peel the burdock root thoroughly. Then, slice it lengthwise diagonally into approximately 0.5 cm thick pieces. Shaving it like sharpening a pencil creates a beautiful shape. Rinse the sliced burdock root and drain it.
Step 3
Rinse the rice thoroughly and let it soak for at least 30 minutes. (I used a mix of brown rice and farro, soaking them for over an hour. Adjust soaking time based on your rice type.)
Step 4
Heat a pan over medium heat and add a little rice bran oil. Add the prepared carrots, shiitake mushrooms, fried fish cake, and chicken breast, and stir-fry them. This will coat the ingredients in oil and bring out their individual flavors.
Step 5
Once the ingredients begin to soften slightly, add all the burdock braising sauce ingredients (3 Tbsp soy sauce, 3 Tbsp cheongju, 2 Tbsp mirin). Continue to stir-fry, allowing the sauce to reduce and coat the ingredients, for about 2-3 minutes until the flavors meld.
Step 6
In the pressure cooker pot, evenly spread the soaked and drained rice. Arrange the stir-fried burdock root, vegetables, and chicken mixture on top of the rice.
Step 7
Pour 2 cups of water for cooking the rice over the rice and ingredients. The amount of water may need slight adjustment depending on the type of rice and how long it was soaked. Finally, place the piece of dried kelp on top of the water. The kombu will add a deeper, richer flavor to the rice.
Step 8
Close the lid of the pressure cooker and start the ‘cook’ cycle. Using a pressure cooker significantly speeds up the cooking process compared to a standard rice cooker.
Step 9
Once the rice is cooked, open the cooker and remove the piece of dried kelp. Before mixing the rice, finely chop some green onions and sprinkle them over the top as a garnish. The fresh aroma of the green onions complements the rice beautifully.
Step 10
Finally, drizzle a little sesame oil over the rice for added fragrance. Gently mix the rice with a spatula to combine everything. Your delicious burdock root rice is ready! Enjoy this hearty and nutritious meal.
