Silver Dashi Glaze (銀あん, Gin-an)

Gin-an looks more delicate than it is. That is its small trick. The sauce should fall over steamed custard, tofu, or simmered vegetables like a clear veil, glossy enough to catch the light but not so thick that it buries what you made underneath.

The one detail that decides it is clarity. Start with good dashi, season it pale with usukuchi shōyu, mirin, and salt, then thicken it with kuzu dissolved in cold water. Kuzu must be stirred in while the sauce is moving, because starch sets the moment heat takes it. Stop stirring and you get lumps, which are very democratic: they ruin everyone's portion equally.

This is not a sauce for hiding anything. Gin-an belongs to the quieter side of washoku, where the broth shows, the vegetable keeps its color, and the cook's restraint is visible. Pour it warm at the last moment over chawanmushi, steamed turnip, tofu, yuba, or tender greens. Leave it room. The shine is enough.