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Kombu maki with burdock and carrot
Kelp rolls with burdock and carrot
Kombu maki (昆布巻き): New Year kelp rolls tied with gourd ribbons, filled with burdock and carrot and simmered sweet and salty
Kombu maki is one of the dishes packed into the lacquered boxes of osechi for New Year's Day all over Japan, where the word kombu is a pun on yorokobu, 'to rejoice'. Soft kelp is rolled around a filling, tied with ribbons of dried gourd and simmered slowly until it can be cut with chopsticks. Families often roll it around herring or salmon; here it is filled with burdock and carrot, cooked in kombu broth and sweetened with sugar instead of mirin, so it is vegan and alcohol-free. Each portion of three rolls has about 3 g of protein, so it is a side, not a main. It keeps for 4 days in the fridge and is eaten cold. The common mistake is rushing the simmer: the kelp needs a full hour or it stays chewy. Chef's tip: keep a drop-lid or a circle of baking paper on the surface the whole time, so the rolls cook evenly without being turned.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 dried kombusheets about 20 cm long, for rolling (hidaka kombu works well)
- ½ tsp saltfor rubbing the kanpyo
- 1 burdock rootabout 20 cm, scrubbed
- 1 carrotmedium
For simmering
- 2 ½ cups kombu soaking waterfrom soaking the sheets; top up with water
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Soak 4 dried kombu in 700 ml of cold water until soft and pliable. Keep the water.
15 minStep 2: Rub ½ oz kanpyo (dried gourd strips) with ½ tsp salt, rinse and soak in warm water until soft enough to tie a knot.
10 minStep 3: Cut 1 burdock root and 1 carrot into sticks as long as the kombu sheets are wide and about 1 cm thick. Soak the burdock in water so it does not darken.
Step 4: Halve each kombu sheet crossways. Lay 2 burdock sticks and 1 carrot stick at one end and roll up firmly. Tie each roll in the middle with a strip of kanpyo, double-knotted, and trim the ends.
Step 5: Pack the rolls snugly in one layer in a pan and pour over 2 ½ cups kombu soaking water to just cover, with 1 tsp rice vinegar, which helps soften the kelp. Lay a drop-lid on top and bring to a simmer.
Step 6: Simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes, then add 3 tbsp sugar and simmer for 15 minutes more.
45 minStep 7: Add 3 tbsp soy sauce and keep simmering, topping up with a splash of water if the rolls start to poke out, until a chopstick slides easily through the kelp and the liquid has reduced to a few spoonfuls of glossy glaze.
30 minStep 8: Leave the rolls to cool in their liquid. Serve at room temperature, cut in half to show the filling.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 70 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kombu maki with burdock and carrot take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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