Miyazaki Chilled Miso Over Rice (冷や汁, Hiyajiru)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Suribachi (Japanese ridged mortar), or a mortar and pestle
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Fish grill or broiler
• •Small whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dashi

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in 700ml cold water and bring it up slowly over low heat. Pull the konbu out just before the water boils, when small bubbles climb the sides. Boiled konbu gives the stock a bitter, slippery edge, and hiyajiru needs a clean cold broth.

   For a meatless table, use konbu and dried shiitake dashi. That is the temple-kitchen way, honmono in its own line, but this Miyazaki version depends on grilled fish.
2. 2

   Add bonito

   Bring the water to a gentle boil, add the katsuobushi all at once, then take the pot off the heat. Let the flakes sink for two or three minutes without stirring. Strain through a cloth and let it drip by itself. Don't squeeze, because squeezing presses out oily, harsh flavors that muddy the broth.

3. 3

   Chill the dashi

   Cool the dashi, then refrigerate it until cold. If time is short, set the bowl over ice and stir until it feels fully chilled. The dish is decided by contrast: cold miso broth meeting hot rice. Lukewarm is where the charm goes to sleep.

4. 4

   Salt the cucumber

   Toss the cucumber slices with the salt and leave them for ten minutes, then squeeze them gently. This draws out excess water so the cucumber stays crisp and doesn't thin the broth. Rinse only if they taste sharply salty, then squeeze again.

5. 5

   Grill the fish

   Brush the fish with sake and grill it until the skin is browned and the flesh flakes cleanly, about four to five minutes per side for a small whole fish, less for fillets. Use fish that smells clean and sweet, never tired. There is little sauce here, so nothing hides. Remove bones and skin, then flake the flesh finely.

6. 6

   Toast the miso

   Spread the miso in a thin layer on foil or a heatproof plate and broil it briefly until the surface darkens in spots and smells nutty, one to three minutes. Watch it closely. Toasting wakes the miso and takes away its raw edge, but scorched miso turns bitter faster than pride admits.

7. 7

   Grind the paste

   Toast the sesame seeds until fragrant, then grind them in a suribachi, a ridged mortar. Add the flaked fish and toasted miso and grind to a rough paste. The stand-in is a mortar and pestle, or short pulses in a food processor. Leave a little texture, because hiyajiru should taste made by hand, not whipped flat.

8. 8

   Slack with dashi

   Whisk in the chilled dashi a little at a time, loosening the paste before adding more. This keeps the miso from floating in lumps and lets the fish season the whole bowl. Stir in the torn tofu, cucumber, myoga, and shiso, then add a few ice cubes if the broth needs to be colder.

9. 9

   Serve over rice

   Put hot rice into bowls and pour the cold hiyajiru over it just before eating. The rice should be hot enough to perfume the bowl, while the broth stays cool. That shock is the point: summer food with a clear head. Serve at once, with a small scatter of sesame or shiso on top.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fish seller what came in fresh enough to grill simply. Horse mackerel is the Miyazaki feeling, but a clean mackerel or sea bream fillet will serve you honestly. If the fish smells strong before it hits the grill, change the dish.
• •Use a suribachi if you have one. Its ridges bruise the sesame and fish together in a way a smooth bowl won't. A mortar works, and a food processor can help, but stop before the paste becomes perfectly smooth.
• •Don't boil miso, and don't heat this broth after mixing it. Miso's fragrance is delicate, and boiling drives it off while making the flavor flat and salty.
• •Keep the rice hot and the broth cold until the last moment. The first spoonful should be cool, savory, and slightly startling. That is not a trick. That is hiyajiru doing its work.
• •Serve it with restraint. A modest bowl with room at the rim looks calmer and eats better than a swollen one. Leave it room.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made two days ahead and kept refrigerated. Chill it fully before mixing the hiyajiru.
• •The grilled fish, toasted miso, and sesame paste can be made up to one day ahead and refrigerated. Loosen it with cold dashi only shortly before serving so the herbs and cucumber stay fresh.
• •Slice the shiso and myoga just before serving. Their fragrance fades quickly once cut.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)