AI-generated image
Iwashi no tsumire jiru
Sardine dumpling soup
鰯のつみれ汁 (iwashi no tsumire jiru): soup of ginger-scented sardine dumplings with daikon and spring onion
Along the coasts of Chiba and Kanagawa, where sardines are landed in huge numbers in autumn, cooks chop them by hand into tsumire (fish dumplings) and drop them into a light dashi with daikon and carrot. It is an everyday supper soup, warming and very savoury, eaten with rice and pickles. Suitable as part of a balanced diet: sardines are rich in protein and omega-3 fats, and the soup is low in starch. About 220 kcal and 9 g carbohydrate per portion. The usual mistake is pureeing the sardines smooth in a processor, which makes the dumplings rubbery; chop with a knife, leaving a little texture. Chef's tip: add a teaspoon of miso and plenty of ginger to the fish paste; it seasons it and hides any strong fishiness.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dumplings
- 8 fresh sardinesabout 500 g, filleted and skinned
- 1 tbsp fresh gingergrated
- 1 tbsp white miso
- 1 tbsp potato starch or cornflour
- 1 spring onionfinely chopped
For the soup
- 5 cups dashi (kombu stock)
- 7 oz daikoncut into thin half-moons
- ½ carrotcut into thin half-moons
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 spring onionssliced
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Check the 8 fresh sardines fillets for any large bones, then chop them with a heavy knife for about 5 minutes until they form a coarse, sticky paste.
8 minStep 2: Mix in 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 1 tbsp white miso, 1 egg white, 1 tbsp potato starch or cornflour and 1 spring onion until the paste holds together.
3 minStep 3: Simmer the 7 oz daikon and ½ carrot in the 5 cups dashi (kombu stock) for 8 minutes until almost tender.
8 minStep 4: Using two wet spoons, drop walnut-sized dumplings into the simmering soup. Cook 4–5 minutes until they float and are firm and opaque right through.
5 minStep 5: Skim off any foam, season with 1 tbsp light soy sauce and ½ tsp salt, and add the 2 spring onions. Serve hot.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does iwashi no tsumire jiru take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of potato starch or cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tiyula itumBlack beef soup
Tiyula itum, 'black soup', is the pride of the Tausug people of Sulu in the far south of the Philippines, cooked for weddings, Eid celebrations and when guests come home. Beef (it is a halal, pork-free dish) is simmered with ginger, lemongrass and turmeric, then darkened with pamapa itum, a paste of grated coconut toasted until almost black and pounded with spices. The broth looks dramatic but tastes smoky, earthy and gently peppery, with heat from chillies. Serve it with plain rice. Chef's tip: toast the coconut slowly, stirring all the time, until it is very dark brown but not ashy; burnt-to-ash coconut tastes bitter and ruins the soup.
Filipino
Ful nabitSprouted fava bean soup
Sprouted beans are ladled out with their cooking liquor in Cairo homes when the weather turns cold or someone is feeling run down, and Egyptians swear by the broth as a pick-me-up. The beans are soaked and left to sprout for a few days, then simmered with onion, garlic and cumin into a light, earthy soup that is sharpened at the table with plenty of lemon. You can eat the beans with a spoon or pop them from their skins. Allow 3 to 4 days for sprouting, although the hands-on work is only about 20 minutes. People with G6PD deficiency (favism) must not eat fava beans. Chef's tip: stop the sprouting when the shoots are about 1 cm long; longer sprouts taste grassy and bitter.
Egyptian
BabboucheSpiced snail broth
After dark in Marrakech's great square, the babbouche stalls are recognisable by their steaming cauldrons and the toothpicks laid out by every bowl. Small land snails simmer in a dark broth of liquorice root, aniseed, thyme, caraway, bitter orange peel, chilli and a bundle of herbs that sellers say has fifteen ingredients, believed to soothe the stomach and warm you on a cold night. You pick the snails out with a toothpick, then drink the peppery, herbal, faintly sweet broth. At home, buy live snails sold for cooking, already purged by a reputable seller, discard any with broken shells or that do not move or retract when touched, and cook them through for at least 45 minutes. Chef's tip: keep the spices in a muslin bag; the broth stays clear and you avoid crunching on seeds.
Moroccan