Brown Rice with Burdock and Mushrooms

(I served the following dish with the stir-fried burdock dish. It takes care of the problem of what to do with the left-over burdock, once you've made the stir-fry. Also this dish is made much easier in the rice-cooker. Just add all the ingredients and hit "COOK". I also tried using a different kind of rice--short grained brown rice mixed with short-grained white rice-- and this substitution worked out well.)


4 medium shiitake (or other robust mushrooms such as dried porcini)
2 c hot water
1 Tb vegetable oil
1 medium burdock root (about 1/4 pound)
2 cups cold water mixed with 1 tsp salt
1 c long grain brown rice
1 small carrot and/or parsnip, sliced
1/2 tsp salt


1. Cut shiitake caps into thin strips or re-hydrate porcini in warm water.

2. Scrub burdock and whittle it off in slivers, placing them in cold salted water as you proceed. Soak 5 minutes. Drain burdock and place in a heavy oven-proof pot with water, mushrooms, rice, carrot and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove from the stove and cover and bake in a 350 oven 45 minutes. Let stand 15-30 minutes. Uncover, fluff, and serve.

From Terra Brockman's Farming notes.