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The
taste of genuine, homemade food
“Dango-jiru” dumpling miso*
soup, is one of Oita’s famous specialty
dishes. This rich soup is full of vegetables and
round dumplings and was once an everyday food.
Ms. Fuchi shared with us the secrets of “dango-jiru”
which include the use of the freshest flour, miso,
 homegrown
carrots and other vegetables. Ms. Fuchi said “the
quality of ‘dango-jiru’ rests entirely
on the quality of the miso.” The miso in
her soup is made from her own homegrown soybeans
and gives a remarkably rich flavor. This all-natural
homemade “dango-jiru” is simply sublime!
*miso: soybean paste
“I want to spread the word on ‘dango-jiru’”
Although winter is the best time to
enjoy steaming “dango-jiru”, it can
be enjoyed with a variety of seasonal vegetables
throughout the whole year. Using seasonal vegetables
gives maximum nutrition and flavor. Ms Fuchi says
“the trick to good ‘dango-jiru’
is putting both body and soul into the kneading
of the dough.”
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First Place – Traditional
Lifestyle Skills
Ms. Fusae Fuchi
(Oita City) |
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Judged as one of the winners
in the “Traditional Lifestyle Skills”
category of the Oita Prefectural Government
awards, Ms. Fuchi plays an active role in
passing down unique traditional skills that
were developed over generations of rural
living. She can often be found at the local
community center instructing others how
to make sweet “manjuu” buns
and other traditional foods. |
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Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
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50g flour |
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1 tablespoon
salt |
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1 piece dried
kelp |
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100g small dried
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sardines |
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50g dried “shiitake”
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mushroom |
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1 burdock root |
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1 carrot |
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1 spring onion |
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5 taros |
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400g “miso”
soybean paste |
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Place the kelp, sardines,
and dried “shiitake” mushrooms in a pan,
cover with water and make stock in the usual manner. |
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Combine the flour and salt, gradually
add water and mix into a stiff paste. Knead the paste
until it is about the consistency of an earlobe. Cut
the dough into thumb-sized pieces, cover with a clean
tea-towel and plastic wrap, and let sit for a while. |
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Return pan to heat and add the shaved
burdock root, spring onion (cut into 2cm lengths), chopped
“shiitake mushroom” used for stock, and
taros cut into round slices. Bring to the boil, and
then remove the kelp and sardines. Mix in half the miso. |
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Stretch out each piece of dough and
add to the pan. Add the remaining miso and heat gently
for 2-3 minutes. Pour the soup into a serving bowl and
decorate with some spring onion and sliced, blanched
carrots. |
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| Ms. Sun Bin loves Japanese
cooking, and always takes Japanese miso home with her when
she goes back to China. |
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| I’m good at chopping!
But this taro is slippery and a bit hard to chop. |
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| This is a bit like
making Chinese dumplings - it’s hard work! |
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| Am I stretching it
right? It’s hard to stretch it out thin! |
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Ms.
Sun Bin (China)
Ms. Bin is a senior at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
She likes cooking and often cooks for herself. Her favorite
dish is miso soup. |
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