Kasujiru-style winter soup (alcohol-free)
Salmon and vegetable winter soup
Kasujiru-style winter soup (粕汁): Kansai's creamy winter soup of salmon, root vegetables and fried tofu, made here without sake lees
In Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, kasujiru is the bowl that appears in the coldest weeks of winter, when sake breweries sell fresh sake lees (sakekasu) and families stir them into miso soup with salmon, daikon, carrot and fried tofu. The lees make it cloudy, creamy and warming. Sake lees still contain some alcohol even after simmering, so this version leaves them out and builds the same creamy body with white miso, a little tahini and soy milk; it is an honest alcohol-free cousin of the traditional dish, which is made with sake lees. A bowl has about 24 g of protein from the salmon, fried tofu, miso and soy milk. The common mistake is boiling once the miso and soy milk are in: it splits and loses its aroma. Chef's tip: whisk the miso and tahini with a ladle of hot broth in a bowl first so they melt in smoothly.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 12 ½ oz salmon filletskinned, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 litre dashi
- 9 oz daikoncut into thin quarter-moons
- 1 carrotcut into thin half-moons
- 5 ½ oz konnyaku (optional)torn into bite-sized pieces
- 2 aburaage (thin fried tofu)sheets, rinsed with boiling water and cut into strips
- 4 tbsp white miso
- 2 tbsp tahini
- ¾ cup unsweetened soy milk
- 2 spring onionsfinely sliced
- 1 pinch shichimi togarashi (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Sprinkle 12 ½ oz salmon fillet with ½ tsp salt and leave 10 minutes, then pat dry. This firms the fish so it keeps its shape.
10 minStep 3: Add 2 aburaage (thin fried tofu) and the salmon and simmer gently for 5 minutes, until the salmon is opaque and flakes.
5 minStep 4: Turn the heat to its lowest. In a bowl, whisk 4 tbsp white miso and 2 tbsp tahini with a ladle of the hot broth until smooth, then stir it back into the pot with ¾ cup unsweetened soy milk.
2 minStep 5: Heat until steaming but not bubbling, about 2 minutes. The soup should look milky and smell nutty; if it boils, it can split.
2 minStep 6: Serve topped with 2 spring onions and a pinch of 1 pinch shichimi togarashi.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kasujiru-style winter soup (alcohol-free) take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 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 salmon fillet?
- Trout or any firm white fish, same weight (check white fish a little sooner).
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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Perfect for:Winter warmers