Tsubon-jiru (Clear Chicken and Seven-Ingredient Soup)

Tsubon-jiru (Clear Chicken and Seven-Ingredient Soup)

Quick answer

Active time
65 min
Waiting
See the steps
Level
Medium
Servings
10 servings
Ingredients
11

About this dish

Seven ingredients, all diced to the same 1.5cm, float in a clear soy-seasoned broth: chicken, shiitake, taro, chikuwa, konjac, carrot and grilled tofu.

Read more

In the Hitoyoshi and Kuma area of Kumamoto, families keep the count odd, seven or nine, and serve the soup with red rice and nishime at occasions such as the Okunchi festival. It also grew out of thrift, since trimmings left from making nishime could become a complete dish. The tofu is added last so the cubes stay neat.

Ingredients

servings

Instructions

5 steps
  1. 1

    Soak ten dried shiitake in 500ml water under refrigeration for 6 hours.

    Squeeze and cut to 1.5cm dice, then filter the soaking liquid through a coffee filter.

  2. 2

    Cut chicken, peeled taro, carrot, chikuwa, konjac, and grilled tofu into uniform 1.5cm dice.

    Blanch konjac for 3 minutes and drain.

  3. 3

    Combine filtered shiitake liquid and fresh water to make 2L.

    Add chicken, shiitake, taro, chikuwa, and konjac, bring to a simmer, and skim foam and fat carefully for 5 minutes.

  4. 4

    Lower heat and simmer for 12 minutes, add carrot, and cook 8 minutes more.

    Taro and carrot should accept a skewer while their corners remain intact.

  5. 5

    Add 60ml each light and dark soy sauce and 1 tablespoon sake and simmer 3 minutes.

    Add grilled tofu for 3 minutes, confirm chicken reaches at least 74C, and ladle gently without breaking tofu.

References checked

These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.

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Tips

Clear broth depends on skimming the first chicken foam and avoiding a hard boil that disperses taro starch and tofu crumbs.
Edited by Charim Team