AI-generated image
Hiyajiru
Chilled miso soup
Hiyajiru (冷や汁): Miyazaki chilled miso soup with grilled fish, tofu, cucumber and shiso, poured over rice
In Miyazaki, on the hot, humid east coast of Kyushu, farmers have eaten hiyajiru through the summer for centuries: grilled fish and sesame are pounded with barley miso in a mortar, the paste is toasted, then thinned with cold dashi and poured, with ice, over barley rice, with torn tofu, cucumber and shiso. It is cool, savoury and filling, a lunch that revives you in the heat. Eggs are not used; fish and soy are the allergens. A bowl with rice is about 340 kcal. The common mistake is skipping the toasting of the miso paste; it is what gives hiyajiru its deep, roasted flavour. Chef's tip: use day-old cold rice and rinse it briefly; warm, sticky rice turns the cold soup cloudy.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
- 5 ½ oz horse mackerel or other white fish filletskin on
- 3 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 4 tbsp barley or mixed miso
- 2 ½ cups dashichilled
- 5 ½ oz firm tofudrained
- 1 cucumberthinly sliced, salted for 5 minutes and squeezed
- 6 shiso leavesshredded
- 1 myoga ginger (optional)thinly sliced
- 8 ice cubes
To serve
- 1 ⅓ lb cooked rice with barleycold
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Grill 5 ½ oz horse mackerel or other white fish fillet skin side up under a hot grill for 6–8 minutes, until the flesh is opaque all through and flakes easily. Cool, then remove the skin and bones and flake the fish.
8 minStep 2: Grind 3 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds in a mortar until oily and fragrant. Add the fish and 4 tbsp barley or mixed miso and grind to a coarse paste.
5 minStep 3: Spread the paste thinly on a sheet of foil and grill for 2–3 minutes, or press it onto the inside of the mortar and toast it over a flame, until it smells roasted and has brown spots.
3 minStep 4: Return the paste to the mortar or a bowl and stir in the chilled 2 ½ cups dashi a little at a time until smooth. Crumble in 5 ½ oz firm tofu and add 1 cucumber, 6 shiso leaves and 1 myoga ginger. Add 8 ice cubes. Keep in the fridge until serving.
3 minStep 5: Rinse the cold 1 ⅓ lb cooked rice with barley briefly and drain. Put it in bowls and pour the cold soup over at the table.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hiyajiru take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 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 toasted white sesame seeds?
- Poppy seeds or finely chopped pumpkin seeds, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
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
Yaki onigiriGrilled rice balls
Yaki onigiri (焼きおにぎり) are rice balls grilled until they form a crisp, toasty crust, then brushed with soy sauce glaze. They are eaten all over Japan, at izakaya, at barbecues and from the freezer section, as a snack or with miso soup. The inside stays soft and steamy while the outside crackles. Best eaten hot, straight from the pan. Chef's tip: let the shaped rice balls dry for 10 minutes before they go in the pan. A drier surface forms a better crust and won't stick, and the glaze goes on only at the end so it doesn't burn.
Perfect for:Summer coolers