Takasaki Zakuni

Quick answer

Total time: 85 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients: 16

About this dish

Takasaki zakuni is a ceremonial Gunma soup of daikon, carrot, burdock, taro, konjac, shiitake, fish cakes, and dried squid, all cut to about 1cm.

The ingredients simmer without oil in water enriched by the squid soaking liquid, then soy seasoning and potato starch give the broth a light gloss. Unlike kenchin-jiru, the vegetables are not fried and dried squid supplies the defining stock. A wedding explanation says oil was omitted so the couple would not separate like oil and water. The soup is also served for New Year, Setsubun, Ebisu observances, and household rites, with uniformly small pieces bringing several ingredients into each spoonful.

Ingredients (10 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
carrot	100	g
daikon	600	g
burdock	50	g
fresh shiitake	5	piece
taro	500	g
konjac	200	g
chikuwa	2	piece
dried squid	1	piece
naruto fish cake	1	piece
soy sauce	50	ml
mirin	50	ml
sake	50	ml
salt	1	tsp
sugar	1	tsp
potato starch	3	tbsp
dashi cooking liquid	2000	ml

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

4 steps

1

Prep

Cut 1 dried squid finely and soak in 500ml dashi for 30 minutes.

Blanch burdock, taro, and konjac separately for 3 minutes, then cut them and the carrot, daikon, shiitake, chikuwa, and naruto to 1cm.
2

Control

Combine every solid except taro and starch with squid liquid and the remaining 1500ml dashi.

Simmer 20 minutes until daikon and burdock soften.
3

Season

Add taro and cook 10 minutes, then add soy sauce, mirin, sake, salt, and sugar and cook 5 minutes more, until taro cuts easily and seafood is piping hot.
4

Heat

Mix 3 tablespoons starch with 6 tablespoons cold broth, stir it in, and boil 2 minutes.

Remove when broth lightly coats a spoon.