Kasujiru Toyama Turnip Soup with Sake Lees
Quick answer
- Total time
- 65 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Kasujiru from Yonezawa in Yamagata simmers firm Toyama turnips with uchimame flattened soybeans and fried tofu in a miso-style broth, then dissolves a generous amount of sake lees for mellow fermented aroma and body.
Read more
Toyama turnips are harder and sweeter than common turnips and store well through winter. Local cooks use a technique called bukkaku, levering irregular bite-size pieces from the root with the corner of a knife so the rough surfaces absorb broth. The turnip cooks first in dashi, followed by the tofu and dried flattened soybeans until everything softens. Miso, sake lees, and mirin are loosened separately with hot broth before returning to the pot, preventing dense lumps. Tender turnip greens enter only for the final boil. Cooling once and reheating helps seasoning penetrate the firm root, but soup made with sake lees should not be assumed completely alcohol-free.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Step
Peel 400g Toyama turnips.
Stabilize each on a board and use the rear corner of the knife to lever off irregular bite-size pieces about 3cm across.
- 2Heat
Select tender stems and leaves from 30g turnip greens, wash, and cut into 3cm lengths.
Pour boiling water over 60g fried tofu to remove surface oil and cut into 1cm strips.
- 3Control
Combine 800ml dashi and the turnip in a pot and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat, leave the lid ajar, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes until a chopstick enters the largest piece.
- 4Control
Add the fried tofu and 20g uchimame and simmer gently for 10 minutes more.
Press one soybean to confirm it is tender through and check that the turnip edges are beginning to soften.
- 5Prep
Place 40g miso, 120g sake lees, and 45ml mirin in a large bowl.
Whisk in 200ml hot broth in three additions until smooth, then strain the mixture back into the pot.
- 6Finish
Cook over low heat for 5 minutes while stirring to mellow the sake-lees aroma.
Add the turnip greens, bring to one brief boil, turn off the heat, and serve hot in four bowls.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Made with 400g firm Toyama turnips
- Finish cue
- Press one soybean to confirm it is tender through and check that the turnip edges are beginning to soften.
- Avoid this
- Do not serve this version to children, pregnant diners, or anyone avoiding alcohol.
- Storage and reheating
- Cool promptly, refrigerate, and reheat to a full simmer through the center the next day.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official food safety guidance.
This recipe
65min, 8 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 242 recipes
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