Light kuzu-thickened broth with tilefish and lotus-root mochi, bracken fern, carrot, and fava bean

For a clear-soup course, what matters most is that the dashi has been drawn properly. At our restaurant, for ichiban dashi, we add aged Rishiri kombu and ma-kombu to water, let it soak for at least 6 hours, and then heat it. Once it boils, we add cold water to bring the temperature down to around 90°C, add bonito flakes, and strain it to make the ichiban dashi.

Usu-kuzu-jitate refers to a clear-soup course finished with a thickening of kuzu starch dissolved in water; it's also called Yoshino-jitate, since Nara's Yoshino region was a famous production area for kuzu. This time we use tilefish (amadai) as the main soup ingredient, but depending on the season, crab and other ingredients would also be delicious.

When you grate the lotus root, squeeze it lightly, but it's fine to think of this as just removing the moisture that comes out from squeezing. Be careful not to squeeze it too much, since doing so will cause it to lose its chewy texture once steamed.

1. Fillet the tilefish (amadai) into three pieces, and salt it in advance.

2. Peel the lotus root, soak it in vinegar water to prevent discoloration, then rinse in water. Grate it, squeeze lightly, add egg white and an egg-yolk-and-oil emulsion as a binder, and season with salted water.

3. Cut the tilefish into pieces, and arrange the lotus root cakes and tilefish in alternating layers, hakata-style, then steam in a rectangular setting mold filled with kombu-infused sake.

4. Once steamed, arrange in a bowl and garnish with the soaked vegetables.

5. Season the ichiban dashi with salt, light soy sauce, and sake, thicken with kuzu starch, and pour into the bowl.