Dojo-Ni (Whole Loach Simmered with Burdock)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 55 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Whole loach, a small freshwater fish, simmer with burdock, tofu and scallion in a soy-based broth until even the bones are soft enough to eat.
Read more
Burdock shaved thin, like sharpening a pencil, flavors the broth. In eastern Saitama, along the Tone and Ayase rivers, loach were caught in rice paddies from summer into autumn; thick ones were simmered whole like this, and thin ones went into soup.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Scrape the burdock lightly, shave it into thin pieces, soak briefly in water, and drain.
Cut the tofu into bite-size pieces and finely chop the long onion.
- 2
Place the cleaned food-grade loaches in a deep container and cover immediately.
Keeping face and hands clear, slowly pour the designated sake along the lid edge and leave covered until all movement stops.
- 3
Combine the warishita water, warishita sake, soy sauce, and mirin in a separate pot.
Add the loaches and drained burdock and place over high heat until the entire pot boils rapidly.
- 4
Once boiling, lower to medium heat and skim the foam.
Add the tofu and onion, keep the loaches below the broth, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the flesh is opaque, the center reaches at least 63°C, and the small bones are tender.
- 5
When the broth has seasoned the burdock and tofu and the loaches have reached the desired tenderness, turn off the heat.
Divide fish, burdock, tofu, onion, and broth evenly among four bowls and serve hot.
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
うなぎ料理専門店「川昌本店」 · Checked: 2026-08-11
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