Kinpira gobo

Step 1: Scrub 7 oz burdock root (gobō) under the tap with the back of a knife or a stiff brush until the muddy skin is gone but the root is still light brown. Cut it into 5 cm lengths, then into thin slices and finally into matchsticks about 3 mm thick.

Step 2: Drop the burdock into a bowl of cold water as you cut and leave it no longer than 5 minutes, just until the water turns tea-coloured, then drain well. Longer soaking leaches out the flavour.

Step 3: Cut 1 carrot into matchsticks the same size as the burdock so they cook evenly.

Step 4: Mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake and 1 tsp sugar in a cup.

Step 5: Heat 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat with 1 dried red chilli. Add the burdock and stir-fry for 3 minutes, until it smells nutty and the edges look slightly translucent.

Step 6: Add the carrot and toss for 2 minutes more, until it is bright and just bending.

Step 7: Pour in the sauce and keep tossing for 4–5 minutes, until the liquid has almost gone and the vegetables look lacquered. Burdock should still have a little bite.

Step 8: Take off the heat and scatter over 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold from a lunchbox; it keeps for 4 days in a closed box in the fridge.