Mizuika Mada-jiru (Squid Ink Miso Soup)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 45 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Mizuika mada-jiru is a dark, rich soup from the Amami area of Kagoshima.
Read more
Pork belly and miso flavor a bonito broth, then flesh from mizuika, the local name for bigfin reef squid, and mada, its ink sac, are added. Squid fishing has deep roots in Amami, where these large translucent squid are caught throughout the year. Ink rounds the saltiness of miso and the richness of pork with a marine savoriness, while purple handama leaves add fresh herbal notes and color. The squid is cooked gently only until its center is done so it stays tender, and the ink is loosened thoroughly in broth before it enters the pot.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Heat
Bring 800ml water to a boil, turn off the heat, and add 1 cup katsuobushi.
Steep for 2 minutes, strain through a fine sieve or cloth, and return the clear bonito stock to the pot.
- 2Control
Slice 100g pork belly into bite-size pieces 5mm thick and simmer in the stock over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes.
Skim foam and confirm the thickest piece reaches at least 75°C at the center.
- 3Control
Loosen 40g miso with a ladleful of stock, stir it into the pot, and reduce to low heat.
Cut 200g cleaned bigfin reef squid body into bite-size 2cm-wide pieces and cut the tentacles to similar lengths.
- 4Control
Add the squid and maintain a gentle simmer for 2 to 4 minutes.
Once the flesh is opaque and the thickest part reaches at least 63°C, do not continue cooking it longer.
- 5Control
Open 1 ink sac inside a small bowl and dissolve only the ink completely in two ladlefuls of broth.
Remove the membrane, stir the black liquid into the pot over low heat for 1 minute, and bring everything back to serving temperature.
- 6Finish
Wash 20g handama leaves, tear half by hand into the pot, and turn off the heat immediately.
Divide the soup among bowls, garnish with the remaining handama, serve hot, and discard portions left at room temperature over 2 hours.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Bonito broth enriched with pork belly and miso
- Finish cue
- Once the flesh is opaque and the thickest part reaches at least 63°C, do not continue cooking it longer.
- Avoid this
- Squid ink can retain mollusk proteins, so do not serve even the broth to anyone with a squid allergy.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official food safety guidance.
This recipe
45min, 7 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 242 recipes
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