Wakatakejiru, tara iri / clear soup with wakame seaweed and bamboo shoot, with grilled cod

Bamboo shoot and wakame seaweed are a traditional pair. Fresh cod in season is grilled for its toasty aroma and added to make an outstanding trio.

1/2 of recipe:
51 calories; 9.9 g protein; 0.3 g fat; 2.4 g carbohydrate; 1.1 g net carbs; 270 mg sodium; 26 mg cholesterol; 1.3 g fiber


<Ingredients>

Small fillet tara cod (90 g in photo)
Pinch salt (to sprinkle on cod; not in photo)
1/4 takenoko no mizuni boiled bamboo shoot (upper section; 68 g in photo)
1-2 tsp dried wakame seaweed (1 g in photo)

For broth
250 cc dashi
3/4 tsp usukuchi soy sauce
1/2 tsp rice vinegar


<Directions>
1.

Sprinkle salt on cod, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Wipe off water on surface, and grill.

When done, place in soup bowls.

2.

Meanwhile, soak dried wakame in water.


When wakame rehydrates, drain.

Slice bamboo shoot lengthwise.

3.

In a small pot, put dashi, usukuchi soy sauce and rice vinegar, and bring to boil.

Put bamboo shoot, cover, and simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes.

4.

Add wakame, and simmer for another minute or two.

Serve in soup bowls.

<Notes>

• Kinome young sansho leaves are the typical garnish for this soup. Unfortunately, where we live the seasons for fresh takenoko and kinome do not match, as young sansho leaves start to appear in late June in our garden. If you can find kinome, it really is worth trying for the ultimate combination. Make sure to slap it between your palms to bring out the pungent aroma before putting it on top of other ingredients.
• Fresh takenoko starts to appear at some Chinese grocery stores, including Ranch Market in Edmonds (north of Seattle), in February. Very good boiled bamboo shoots (boiled on site or nearby) usually are available for a limited period of time in late spring at Japanese grocery stores.
• As for the name of the dish, wakatakejiru, waka implies wakame seaweed and take implies takenoko bamboo shoot. Jiru is from shiru [soup].
• As the name suggests, the soup usually contains only wakame and takenoko.
• Due to its simplicity, use freshly boiled bamboo shoot for this dish. Nothing can hide the aroma, taste and texture of bamboo shoot that is not fresh.
• If using salted wakame, soak in water and change the water a few times to get out all the salt.
• Rehydrating dried wakame before adding it to broth is optional (check product package for suggested preparation methods).
• Make sure to simmer the broth (with bamboo shoot) long enough to remove the sourness of rice vinegar, which is added to give depth to the broth while cutting back on sodium.