Nishime (simmered root vegetables)

Step 1: Soak ⅓ oz kombu (dried kelp) and 6 dried shiitake mushrooms in 3 ¾ cups cold water for at least 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge), until the mushrooms are soft right through to the stem.

Step 2: Squeeze the shiitake back over the bowl, cut off the woody stems and score a star on each cap. Lift out the kombu, cut it into strips and tie each strip into a knot; keep all the soaking liquid as your dashi.

Step 3: Tear 9 oz konnyaku block into bite-sized pieces with a spoon (rough edges hold the sauce), or slice and twist it into rope knots. Rub with ½ tsp salt, then boil for 3 minutes and drain to remove its smell.

Step 4: Rub 14 oz small taro (satoimo) with ½ tsp salt, rinse off the slime, then parboil in plain water over medium heat for 5 minutes and rinse again. Drain 7 oz lotus root from its water with 1 tsp rice vinegar.

Step 5: Stir 3 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp mirin and 3 tbsp light soy sauce (usukuchi) into the dashi. Pour about a third into a small pan, add the taro and bring to a bare simmer over low heat.

Step 6: Cover with a drop lid (otoshibuta) or a circle of baking paper and simmer the taro very gently for 15 minutes, until a skewer slides in easily. Common mistake: letting it bubble hard; taro crumbles and the liquid turns cloudy, so keep only a few lazy bubbles.

Step 7: Lift out the taro. Add the lotus root and 1 carrot to the same liquid with another third of the dashi and simmer, covered with the drop lid, for 12 minutes, until the carrot is tender but still bright orange and the lotus is crisp-tender.

Step 8: Lift those out too. Add the konnyaku, kombu knots, shiitake and the rest of the dashi and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a few spoonfuls of glossy glaze and the shiitake are dark and shiny.

Step 9: Return all the vegetables to the pan, spoon the glaze over and leave to cool in it; they keep absorbing flavour as they cool. Meanwhile blanch 8 snow peas for 1 minute in salted water until bright green and drain.

Step 10: Arrange the vegetables in separate groups in a lacquered box or on a platter, scatter with the snow peas and serve at room temperature. It keeps 3 days in the fridge. For the classic non-vegan version, simmer everything in bonito (katsuobushi) dashi instead of the kombu-shiitake dashi.