Niboshi Dashi Miso Soup (Abura-age and Long Onion) with Ume-Simmered Spent Niboshi and Potato

Prepare about 10 niboshi. Niboshi whose belly side curves like the character "の" are the fresh ones. For a clean-tasting dashi, remove the head and the bitter belly portion.

Measure out 600cc of water and add the prepared niboshi. Simply soaking niboshi in water draws out plenty of dashi.

Add dashi kombu to the same water. The synergy between the glutamic acid in kombu and the inosinic acid in niboshi more than doubles the umami. Refrigerate overnight (2-3 hours will do if you're short on time).

Cut the ingredients for the miso soup. Cut the abura-age into bite-sized pieces. Inspired by the miso soups of the Edo period, keep it simple with only abura-age and long onion.

Slice the white part of the long onion thinly on the diagonal. Set the green part aside, as it will be used for the side dish.

For the side dish, cut the green part of the long onion into thin strips, and cut the potato lengthwise, then into sticks about the thickness of a thick matchstick. Rinse the potato quickly in water.

Put the niboshi and kombu that soaked overnight into a pot and heat to around 60-70°C. Boiling brings out a fishy smell, so turn off the heat once bubbles cling to the rim of the pot and the water begins to shimmer and move. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Lift out the dashi kombu and the niboshi. Set these niboshi and kombu aside, as they will be reused in the side dish.

Add the white part of the long onion and the abura-age to the niboshi dashi and simmer briefly until the onion is cooked through.

Once the onion is nicely cooked, dissolve in the miso and add a little mirin and soy sauce to give the flavor sweetness, umami, and complexity. Do not let it boil vigorously after adding the miso.

Make the side dish. Put a little oil in a frying pan and sauté the potato; once it is coated in oil, add the green part of the long onion. Then add the spent niboshi from the dashi and the kombu cut into thin strips, and sauté.

Add the sake, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, then tear up the umeboshi and add it along with the pit. Sprinkle in ichimi chili powder to taste and simmer down until almost no liquid remains.