Grilled Deodeok RootDeodeok Gui

Deodeok is a root vegetable that doesn't travel well — not the plant itself, which is native to Korean and East Asian mountains, but the understanding of it. Outside Korea, almost no one knows what it is. Inside Korea, it's considered a prized herb, used in traditional medicine and celebrated in mountain temple cuisine.

A Guatemalan friend named Roberto first asked me about it after seeing deodeok gui on a menu at a Korean restaurant in Los Angeles. He's a chef who's spent time in Japan and had encountered burdock root and mountain yam, so he understood the idea of medicinal root vegetables as food. But deodeok was new to him. When we finally got it and he tasted the grilled version, he went quiet for a moment, then said it was 'perfume made solid.' Not wrong.

The flattening technique in step one is essential. Deodeok roots are tapered and firm — gently pressing them flat with the side of a knife or a rolling pin exposes more surface area for the glaze, releases aromatic oils inside the root, and creates the irregular charred edges that are part of the dish's appeal. Don't pound it into pieces; a firm, even press until it's about half its original thickness is right.

Fresh deodeok roots are hard to find in the US outside of specialty Korean grocery stores, but dried deodeok is available from Korean e-commerce suppliers and needs only to be rehydrated before use. The fresh version has a more delicate flavor; the dried is more concentrated and earthy. Both are worth trying.