Aizu Kozuyu

Quick answer

Total time: 515 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 14

About this dish

Kozuyu is an Aizu hospitality soup from Fukushima.

Dried scallops and shiitake are soaked, their strained liquids are combined with bonito dashi, and small pieces of wood ear, shirataki, carrot, taro, warabi, and mame-fu are simmered into a clear broth. It is traditionally served in a shallow red Aizu-lacquer dish called a teshio-zara, and its name is said to have evolved from koju no tsuyu. For more than a century it has appeared at weddings, memorials, festivals, and other occasions for guests. Because it was also enjoyed with sake, diners were free to request repeated bowls. Households often choose an auspicious odd total of seven or nine ingredients while keeping shiitake restrained so the dried scallop remains distinct.

Ingredients (4 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
dried scallops	2	piece
water for soaking scallops	200	ml
dried wood ear mushrooms	8	piece
shirataki	50	g
dried shiitake	1	piece
water for soaking mushrooms	400	ml
mame-fu wheat gluten balls	4	tbsp
carrot	50	g
boiled warabi	30	g
taro	200	g
water for boiling taro and shirataki	1500	ml
bonito dashi	800	ml
soy sauce	1.5	tbsp
sake	1	tbsp

Instructions

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

6 steps

1

Step

Refrigerate 2 dried scallops in 200ml scallop water and 8 wood ears plus 1 shiitake in 400ml mushroom water for 8 hours.

Shred the scallops along the grain and strain both soaking liquids finely.
2

Step

Tear the rehydrated wood ears into bite-size pieces and stem and dice the shiitake into 1cm cubes.

Soak 4 tablespoons mame-fu in 100ml of the mushroom liquid for 5 minutes, then press dry.
3

Heat

Peel 200g taro and cut into 1cm quarter-rounds; cut 50g shirataki into 1cm lengths.

Boil 1500ml water, blanch shirataki for 2 minutes and taro for 5 minutes, drain separately, and rinse the taro's surface starch.
4

Heat

Cut 50g carrot into 5mm quarter-rounds and 30g boiled warabi into 2cm lengths.

Combine scallops, scallop liquid, the remaining 300ml mushroom liquid, shiitake, and 800ml bonito dashi and bring to a boil.
5

Control

Add carrot, wood ear, and shirataki and simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes.

Add taro and cook 8 minutes more; when chopsticks enter it easily, season with 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon sake.
6

Finish

Add the mame-fu and boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.

Divide solids and clear broth evenly among bowls, top with boiled warabi, and serve warm while scallop aroma remains more prominent than shiitake.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Clear broth using strained scallop and shiitake soaking liquids
Finish cue: Add the mame-fu and boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
Storage and reheating: Soak dried scallops for 8 hours under refrigeration, not at room temperature, and finely strain all soaking liquid for the broth.