This professional technique
Chirimen-style pike conger with seared tofu, kosode-cut winter melon, hama-bofu, and ume-kosen
COOKING INGREDIENTS
This professional technique
FREE
Ingredients
- Quantities
Pike conger
30 g
Silken tofu
43 g
Winter melon
13 g
- Toasted Rice Flour with Plum
Nanko plum
5
Egg yolk
1
How to make Chirimen-style pike conger with seared tofu, kosode-cut winter melon, hama-bofu, and ume-kosen
How to make Chirimen-style pike conger with seared tofu, kosode-cut winter melon, hama-bofu, and ume-kosen
1. Butterfly the hamo (pike conger) as in the basic method, and cut it into a two-piece fillet. Dust it with kuzu starch and blanch it briefly in hot water.
2. For the fire-seared tofu, cut silken tofu into pieces, sear the surface with a torch, and let it soak in an all-purpose clear-soup dashi (happō dashi).
3. For the winter melon, pare the skin and cut it, boil it in water with salt and baking soda to bring out its color, then soak it in happō dashi.
4. For the plum powder (baika-kōsen), press five nankō plums through a fine sieve, combine with one egg yolk, heat over a hot-water bath, and finish into a fine powder.
Want to check the seasoning blend before you cook?
COMMENT
The hamo clear-soup course is one standard piece of work always served once early summer arrives. Most people probably pair hamo with plum, but I believe that, in the old days, rather than adding plum paste as is done now, a whole pickled plum was more likely added, as in this dish.
The key point is bone-cutting. Some people cut in by eye, copying what they've seen, but if you use a large knife and let the weight of the blade alone carry it from front to back, it seems the blade stops right at the very edge of the bones.
The two-piece cut is meant to bring out visual interest and ease of eating. Since the dish uses tofu and winter melon — ingredients that keep costs down — alongside it, it becomes a dish that retains a sense of luxury while also being good value.
Ume-kosen turns into a powder if you put it over a bain-marie for about an hour. If you're aiming to save time, pressing it through a fine sieve once it's about 80% done lets you quickly get a fine, dry powder. In times like these, I think it's good to make skillful use of convenient tools.