Kombu Tsukudani
- Kurumi Hayter
- Apr 4, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 15
OK, first things first. What is tsukudani?
Answer: Tsukudani is a cooking technique that involves simmering ingredients in a soy & mirin solution until the liquor has almost evaporated.
Tskudani is a great way of creating a very concentrated umami flavour. But originally, tsukudani was used as a method of preserving foods in the days before refridgeration. Nowadays, kombu is the most common form of tsukudani but you can also use the technique with other ingredients. This is also a great way to "recycle" kelp that you've already used once to make Japanese dashi stock - and kelp is so good for you so that it's such a shame to throw it away. As I said, tsukudani creates a very rich flavour so a little goes a long way. My recipe makes enough for 2-4 people to be eaten as a side dish part of a meal along with other dishes. Once you've made your kombu tsukudani, just top a bowl of steamed rice with a heaped teaspoon and enjoy!
You can find the written recipe as below. Alternatively, click Kombu Tsukudani for the Youtube tutorial.
Happy simmering! Kurumi XXXX.
Ingredients: 2 servings
100g used konbu (wet weight, leftovers from making japanese stock)
3 wet shiitake (leftover from making japanese stock)
400ml water
1 tbsp vinegar
30g brown sugar
0.5 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
0.5 tsp toasted sesame seed
how to:
finely slice the shiitake mushroom
finely slice the konbu
put the water & vinegar in a saucepan & bring to the boil
add the konbu and cook for 5 mins before draining
put the kelp back in the saucepan
add the shiitake, sugar, mirin and soy sauce and simmer over a medium heat for about 8 mins stirring occasionally or until the liquid has almost gone
your tsukudani is now ready to serve - just sprinkle with the sesame and serve as a side dish with rice
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