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Kiritanpo nabe with burdock root served as an appetizing Japanese soup
Delicious Japanese soup with kiritanpo rice and burdock root

Kiritanpo nabe with burdock root

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses Soups
Kiritanpo Nabe is Akita prefecture's famous winter dish. 'Kiritanpo' is nothing more than half-mashed cooked rice, moulded onto cedar skewers, toasted, then cooked in broth. This dish is part of Japanese 'nabemono' (hot pot) culture: a soup bubbling in the middle of the table, where toasted rice sticks absorb the earthy, umami-rich flavours of chicken and burdock (gobo). A true communal experience.
🕒 Prep Time 30 mins
🍳 Cook Time 35 mins
⌛ Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 600 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Mortar or sturdy bowl (for mashing rice)
  • Wooden skewers (optional for shaping kiritanpo)
  • Large pot or Donabe (Japanese clay pot)
  • Vegetable peeler

Allergen Information

⚠️ Soya
⚠️ Cereals containing gluten

Instructions

1 ✓

Making kiritanpo: mash freshly cooked hot rice in a mortar until half-mashed (don't make smooth paste, leave grains).

Tip: This is called 'hangoroshi' (half-killing) in Japanese. Rice becomes sticky but keeps texture.
2 ✓

Form rice into cylinders (optionally on skewers), and toast surface in a pan or on grill until lightly brown. Remove from skewer and cut into 5 cm pieces.

Tip: Toasting creates a crust preventing rice from dissolving in soup immediately.
3 ✓

Peel burdock root (or scrape skin), shave into thin pieces (like sharpening a pencil). Soak in water for 10 mins.

Tip: Burdock browns quickly (oxidation) and can be bitter; soaking prevents this.
4 ✓

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Boil stock in pot, add chicken and drained burdock. Cook on medium heat 10-15 minutes.

Tip: Skim foam off soup for clean taste.
5 ✓

Add soy sauce, miso (dissolved in little liquid), and sake. Taste, salt if needed.

Tip: Don't boil miso too long, it loses aroma and probiotic properties.
6 ✓

Add kiritanpo sticks and noodles to soup. Cook further 5 minutes until rice warms through and absorbs broth.

Tip: Don't overcook or kiritanpo falls apart!
7 ✓

Finally throw in chopped spring onion and herbs, serve immediately.

Tip: Greens should remain crunchy.

Recipe FAQ

Where can I get burdock root?
Look for 'Gobo' in Asian grocery stores. If unavailable, salsify or parsnip can substitute, though flavour differs.
What rice should I use?
Only Japanese short-grain (sushi) rice works, as its stickiness holds the kiritanpo together.

Ingredients

  • 150 g Burdock root (Gobo)
  • 300 g Cooked Japanese rice (for Kiritanpo)
  • 300 g Chicken thigh fillet
  • 2 stalks Spring onions (thick type/Negi)
  • 3 tbsp Soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp Miso paste
  • 1 l Dashi stock or Chicken stock
  • 50 g Shirataki noodles (optional)
  • 1 bunch Japanese parsley (Mitsuba) or Coriander
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Sake (optional)