Sweet-Simmered Shrimp (海老の旨煮, Ebi no Umani)

The shrimp is meant to bend. In osechi, the New Year foods packed into lacquered boxes, that curved back is the old wish for long life, the body stooped with age and still bright-eyed enough to complain about the tea.

This looks ceremonial, but the cooking is small and direct. Use shell-on shrimp, because the shell protects the flesh and gives the dish its red lacquer. Devein them through the back with a skewer, simmer them gently in dashi, sake, mirin, sugar, and soy, then let them cool in that broth so the seasoning settles in without making the shrimp rubbery.

The one detail that decides it is timing. Shrimp go from sweet to tight in a minute, so we cook them only until they curl and turn opaque, then finish the shine by spooning over reduced broth. Nothing hidden. A good shrimp, a clear dashi, and restraint are enough for honmono.