The color combination of red and white is used on happy occasions in Japan; foods named kō (red) haku (white) have an aura of festivity about them. In a desire to gussy up this simple but satisfying soup made from frankly mundane ingredients daikon peels and carrots I have decided to call it kōhaku-jiru.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon aromatic sesame oil
- Several strips of daikon peel, cut into thick julienne strips (about ½ cup)
- 1½ ounces carrot, cut into thick julienne strips (about ¼ cup)
- Pinch of salt
- Splash of sake
- 3½ cups stock, preferably Sun-Dried Radish Stock, or equal parts radish stock and Sun-Dried Shiitaké Mushroom Stock
- 1½ tablespoons red miso, preferably Sendai miso
- 1 tablespoon white miso, preferably Saikyō miso
- A few daikon leaves, barely blanched and coarsely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 or 2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal (optional)
How to Make It
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the daikon peel and carrot strips and sauté for about 1 minute, or until slightly translucent. Sprinkle with the salt, then add the saké and jiggle the pot to deglaze any browned bits. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and then adjust the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender but still firm. If large clouds of froth appear, skim them away with a fine-mesh skimmer.
- Place the miso in the miso koshi and stir to dissolve directly in the pot. Or, place the miso in a small bowl and ladle in some of the hot stock from the pot. Stir to dissolve, then strain this mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the pot. Do not allow the soup to boil once the miso has been added. This traditional wisdom should be heeded for two reasons: boiling the soup diminishes the nutritional value of miso and compromises its aroma.
- If possible, use 4 deep, lidded Japanese-style soup bowls, which will ensure the soup is served piping hot and will trap the aromas. Place an equal amount of the daikon leaves in each bowl; add scallions for a more complex flavor. Ladle the hot soup over the greens. Lid the bowls and serve immediately.
