Kinpira

Kinpira is a Japanese technique and dish, most often made from root vegetables such as burdock root, carrot or lotus root, that are first sauteed and then simmered in a sauce of soy sauce, mirin, sugar and chili pepper; other ingredients prepared kinpira-style include kabocha squash skin, mushrooms, broccoli, seaweeds such as arame and hijiki, and proteins such as tofu, chicken, pork or beef. The technique takes its name from Kintaro, a hero of Japanese folklore, by way of his son Kinpira, a legendary strongman, a naming that reflects the dish's hearty, assertively seasoned character.