Hagi-Style Itokoni (Azuki and Shiratama Clear Soup)
Quick answer
- Active time
- 150 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 11
About this dish
Sweetened azuki beans and red-and-white rice dumplings sit in a lightly salted clear broth, putting sweet and savory in the same bowl.
Read more
Itokoni from Yamaguchi Prefecture changes from area to area in its broth and ingredients, and this recipe follows the clear-soup style of Hagi. Setting dumplings tinted red beside white ones comes from the colors used at celebrations.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Wash 50g azuki and soak in 500ml of the preparation water for 8 hours.
Drain, cover with 700ml fresh water, boil for 5 minutes, and discard this first cooking water.
- 2
Cover the beans with 700ml fresh water, bring to a boil, and simmer very gently for about 90 minutes.
Do not stir, and top up with hot preparation water as needed. When a bean crushes softly between fingers, drain.
- 3
Add 50g sugar and 30ml syrup water to the cooked azuki.
Bring to one boil over medium heat, turn off the heat, cover, and rest 20 minutes so the beans absorb sweetness.
- 4
Soak 3g dried shiitake in 200ml of the kombu dashi for 20 minutes.
Strain the liquid and combine with the remaining stock to total 500ml. Remove the hard stem and cut the mushroom into quarters.
- 5
Add preparation water to 30g shiratamako 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough is as soft as an earlobe.
Mix 1 drop red coloring into half, form 4 white and 4 red balls, and press each center lightly.
- 6
Bring the remaining preparation water to a generous boil and add the dumplings.
After all float, cook 1 minute more and transfer to cold water. Cut 30g kamaboko into 8 crescent slices 5mm thick.
- 7
Simmer 500ml kombu dashi and the shiitake for 5 minutes.
Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, add the sweetened azuki, drained red and white dumplings, and kamaboko, and bring to one brief boil.
- 8
Place 2 red and white dumplings in each of 4 bowls and divide the azuki, shiitake, and kamaboko evenly.
Add the clear broth and serve warm, or refrigerate at 4°C or below within 2 hours if serving chilled.
References checked
These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.
- 일본 농림수산성 うちの郷土料理
森永 八江 · Checked: 2026-08-11
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