KitchenNippon

Ingredients for 4 Servings
Ichiban Dashi (一番だし / Ichiban dashi)
Konbu (昆布 / Konbu) 1 piece 5cm sq.
Dried bonito (かつおぶし or かつお節 / Katsuo bushi) 24g
Water (水 / Mizu) 800ml

Miso Soup (味噌汁 / Miso shiru)
Mushrooms (きのこ / Kinoko) 150g
(Any type of Japanese mushroom is fine. Shiitake (椎茸), enoki (えのき), shimeji (しめじ), and maitake (舞茸) are good choices.)
Sweet potato (さつまいも / Satsuma imo) 40g
Silken tōfu (絹豆腐 / Kinudōfu) 1/4 block (about 90g)
Leeks (万能ネギ / Bannō-negi) 20g
Miso (味噌 / Miso) 70g

＜How to Make＞
1. Add the water and konbu to a pot and set the pot aside for about 30 minutes. Line a strainer with a paper towel and place the strainer on top of a mixing bowl about the same size as the pot. Place the pot on medium heat. Remove the konbu just before the water boils.
2. Turn the heat up to high. Once the water comes to a boil, add the dried bonito. Wait 1 minute, then turn off the heat. Once the dried bonito sinks to the bottom of the pot, pour the contents of the pot into the strainer to separate the dried bonito from the liquid. The liquid is ichiban dashi.
3. Cut off the bottoms of the mushroom stems and then cut the mushrooms into bite-size pieces. Chop the leeks into small pieces and set these aside.
4. Cut the sweet potato into 1cm-wide quarter rounds. Soak these in water for about five minutes and then drain. This helps to remove undesirable flavors. Cut the tōfu into cubes about 1.5cm on a side.
5. Return the ichiban dashi to the pot. Add the sweet potatoes and place the pot on high heat to bring it to a boil. Add the mushrooms, cover the pot, and reduce to medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Once the mushrooms and sweet potatoes have softened, add the tōfu. Allow the tōfu to come up to temperature then turn off the heat.
6. Dissolve in the miso.
7. Serve in bowls and top with the chopped leeks.

Recipe Developed by: Machiko Tateno