Chiba Sumitsukare

Quick answer

Total time: 270 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients: 9

About this dish

Chiba sumitsukare is a Tokatsu-area dish made by coarsely grating daikon and carrot, cooking them without added water until their own liquid emerges, and then slowly simmering roasted soybeans, aburaage, tofu, and sake lees for three to four hours.

Unlike regional versions that include a salmon head, this Chiba transmission is based on vegetables, soybeans, and tofu. It was offered to Inari together with red bean rice on Hatsu-uma, the first Day of the Horse in February, and made practical use of roasted beans left from Setsubun. Names vary across the region, including sumitsukare, shimotsukare, and somotsukare. Long, low cooking breaks down the daikon into a thick mixture bound by mellow sake lees.

Ingredients (10 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
daikon	1000	g
long carrot	250	g
roasted soybeans	75	g
aburaage fried tofu	40	g
firm tofu	300	g
sugar	1	tbsp
soy sauce	100	ml
mirin	1	tbsp
sake lees	50	g

Instructions

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

5 steps

1

Step

Peel 1000g daikon and 250g long carrot and grate them on an oni-oroshi or large-holed grater, leaving coarse pieces about 5mm across. Keep all of the liquid released by both vegetables.
2

Control

Put the grated vegetables and all their juice in a large heavy pot without adding water.

Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, scraping from the bottom every 5 minutes. When ample liquid has emerged and the volume drops, reduce to low.
3

Control

Rub 75g roasted soybeans between clean towels to loosen their skins and add them to the pot.

Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar, 100ml soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon mirin. Set the lid ajar and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
4

Control

Crumble 300g firm tofu by hand, leaving 2cm pieces, and cut 40g aburaage into coarse 1cm strips.

Add both to the pot, scrape and stir from the bottom, and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
5

Heat

Crumble 50g sake lees finely into the pot and dissolve evenly.

Keep the lid ajar and cook over the lowest heat for another 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from the heat when the beans are tender and the daikon has broken down into a thick mixture.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Cooked without added water using daikon and carrot juices
Finish cue: Remove from the heat when the beans are tender and the daikon has broken down into a thick mixture.
Storage and reheating: Cool leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, refrigerate, and reheat until bubbling throughout.