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  7. Chicken Chicken Gobou (Chicken Chicken Burdock)

Chicken Chicken Gobou (Chicken Chicken Burdock) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Yamaguchi Prefecture

    Chicken Chicken Gobou (Chicken Chicken Burdock)

Chicken Chicken Gobou (Chicken Chicken Burdock)

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  • Main lore areas

    All of Yamaguchi Prefecture

  • Main ingredients used

    Chicken, Gobou(=Burdock)

  • History/origin/related events

    This dish has spread from school lunches to the entire prefecture and has become the soul food of Yamaguchi Prefecture residents. It is made by mixing bite-sized fried chicken and deep-fried Gobou(=Burdock) root with sweet and spicy sauce, and is popular among children because it goes well with rice. It originated around 1995, when a nutrition teacher at an elementary school asked for original dishes from each family, saying that the recipes for school lunches were becoming "mannered". The dish was invented based on the recipes submitted. At that time, the name "Chicken Chicken Gobou(=Burdock)" was also created, which has a good rhythm and attracts children. The name was chosen to attract children's attention to the ingredients, and to make it easy for children with allergies to understand what ingredients are being used. The taste is made possible by the sweet and spicy sauce made with sugar and soy sauce, and is loved by children and adults alike. The crispy fried chicken meat is satisfying and combines perfectly with the flavor of gobou(=burdock) root, and the inclusion of edamame (=green soybeans) adds a nice colorful touch. It is one of the prefectural foods that spread through school lunches to households and then to towns by word of mouth, and will become a local cuisine in the future.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    It is served as home cooking, school lunches, and restaurant menus.

  • How to eat

    Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, and coat with katakuriko(=potato starch). Scrape the skin off the gobou(=burdock) root, cut into 5mm slices, and soak in water. Boil edamame(=green soybeans) and drain. Combine sugar, soy sauce, sake, mirin and other seasonings in a pot and bring to a boil to make sauce. Deep fry chicken and gobou(=burdock) root in oil, add edamame(=green soybeans) and pour the sauce over the chicken and gobou(=burdock) root. Other variations of the dish include "Chicken Chicken Renkon" using "Renkon (=lotus) " root instead of gobou(=burdock) root, "Kujira Kujira Gobo" using "Kujira(=whale)" meat, and "Ton ton Renkon" using "pork(=Ton) " and "Renkon (=lotus) " root, all without changing the flavor of the sweet and spicy sauce.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches to commercialization)
    It is served in school lunches in the prefecture and is also commonly made at home. A "Chicken Chicken Gobou Championship" is also held, in which restaurants compete to see how well their "Chicken Chicken Gobou" is prepared.

RECIPE

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Chicken thighs (cut into cubes) 320g
  • Gobou(=burdock) (sliced diagonally, 3mm thickness) 200g
  • Katakuriko(=potato starch) 3tbsp.
  • Frying oil As needed
  • Dashi(=Japanese soup stock) or water 1／2cup
  • [Seasoning A] Sake 2 tbsp.
  • [Seasoning A] Sugar 1 1／2 tbsp.
  • [Seasoning A] Soy sauce 1 tbsp.
  • [Seasoning A] Mirin(=sweet rice wine) 2 tsp.
  • Edamame(=green soybeans) 30g

How to cook

  • 1. Cut gobou(=burdock) root and soak in water for about 10 minutes to drain off the dirt.

  • 2. Coat chicken and gobou with katakuriko(=potato starch) and deep fry in oil at 160-170℃.

  • 3. Put dashi(=Japanese soup stock) (or water) and [Seasoning A] in a pot and heat. Add edamame(=green soybeans) and bring to a light simmer, then add 2 and stir to coat.

provider : Nutrition teacher in Yamaguchi City

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

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