Funa-Meshi (Okayama Minced Crucian Carp Rice Bowl)

Funa-Meshi (Okayama Minced Crucian Carp Rice Bowl)

Quick answer

Total time
55 min
Level
Medium
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
18

About this dish

Minced crucian carp and root vegetables simmer in a sweet-salty dashi with two kinds of soy sauce, and the hot soup is ladled generously over rice, then topped with sliced green onion and torn nori.

Read more

The dish grew up around the reclaimed land of Kojima Bay in southern Okayama, where rice paddies, canals, rivers, and Kojima Lake held plenty of winter carp. Its other names, tontoko-jiru and tontoko-meshi, echo the rhythmic chopping of fish on a board.

Ingredients

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Instructions

4 steps
  1. 1

    Shave the burdock thinly and soak briefly in cold water.

    Cut the Kintoki carrot, shiitake, konnyaku, and fried tofu into thin 3 cm strips. Wearing gloves, peel the taro and cut into 1 cm rounds.

  2. 2

    Heat the vegetable and sesame oils over medium heat, lower to low, and add the minced carp.

    Break up every lump and fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until pale and at least 70°C at the center. Raise to high heat, add the prepared vegetables and fried tofu, and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

  3. 3

    Bring the dashi to a boil in a deep pot and add the fried carp and vegetables.

    Skim the foam, mix in both soy sauces, mirin, sake, and sugar, and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the taro and burdock are tender.

  4. 4

    Place 200 g hot rice in each of four deep bowls.

    Ladle the carp, vegetables, and broth evenly over the rice, then finish with sliced green onion and torn nori and serve hot.

References checked

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Tips

Do not eat freshwater crucian carp raw. Use cleaned mince sold for food, with scales and innards removed, break up all lumps, and cook to at least 70°C at the center.
Raw taro sap can irritate skin, so wear gloves while peeling. Simmer until the centers are completely tender and do not taste raw or undercooked taro.
Edited by Charim Team