Jibuni (Flour-Coated Duck Simmer)

Quick answer

Total time: 65 min
Level: Hard
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 14

About this dish

Jibuni is a Kanazawa simmer from Ishikawa in which thin duck slices are coated generously with flour and cooked in a dashi broth seasoned with light and dark soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar.

Sudare-fu, taro, shiitake, flower-shaped wheat gluten, and greens are prepared separately in the same broth. Flour clinging to the duck protects the meat and gives the sauce its characteristic body. The vegetables are removed before the duck enters, then everything is plated and covered with the adjusted sauce and a small mound of wasabi.

Ingredients (4 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
duck breast	120	g
sudare-fu wheat gluten	40	g
taro	4	piece
fresh shiitake mushrooms	4	piece
spinach	100	g
flower-shaped wheat gluten	4	piece
light soy sauce	30	ml
dark soy sauce	30	ml
mirin	30	ml
sake	30	ml
sugar	12	g
dashi	550	ml
all-purpose flour	50	g
fresh wasabi	12	g

Instructions

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

6 steps

1

Heat

Peel 4 taro, parboil for 5 minutes, and rinse.

Cut 40g sudare-fu, blanch once, and remove the stems from 4 shiitake before scoring their caps.
2

Prep

Blanch 100g spinach for 1 minute, chill, squeeze dry, and cut into 3cm lengths.

Soak 4 flower-fu pieces and press out excess water gently.
3

Control

Bring 30ml light soy, 30ml dark soy, 30ml mirin, 30ml sake, 12g sugar, and 550ml dashi to a boil.

Simmer the sudare-fu, taro, shiitake, and flower-fu for 12 minutes, then remove.
4

Finish

Slice 120g duck breast across the grain into 12 thin pieces.

Coat both sides generously with 40g flour and reserve the remaining flour for thickening.
5

Control

Return the broth to a boil and add the duck one slice at a time.

Cook over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes, removing when the center reaches 75C and the flour coating turns translucent.
6

Heat

Divide duck, sudare-fu, taro, shiitake, flower-fu, and spinach among four bowls.

Mix the remaining 10g flour with 20ml cold water, add gradually to the broth, boil once to adjust thickness, ladle over, and top each with 3g wasabi.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Thin duck slices coated generously with flour
Finish cue: Cook over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes, removing when the center reaches 75C and the flour coating turns translucent.
Avoid this: Add duck slices one at a time so their flour coatings do not stick together.