Hot pot & soups
Itokojiru
Itokojiru — azuki bean and tofu miso soup
Azuki beans, tofu, and root vegetables are slow-simmered into a miso-based soup, said to be essential at the memorial gathering for the founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism on his death anniversary — eating the beans, his favorite, is meant as a gesture of gratitude.
- Origin: Ishikawa
- About 300 km west of Tokyo
Lineage
What it's made of
A soup centered on adzuki beans and tofu, with root vegetables simmered in slowly and finished miso-style. The beans' mellow sweetness and the tofu's softness are said to melt together with miso's gentle saltiness. Often prepared as a vegetarian dish, it uses kelp and shiitake for stock, so a deep, nourishing richness is said to come through even without any animal ingredients.
How it's made
Softly boiled adzuki beans are added to dashi and brought to a simmer. Once it boils, tofu goes in, and the soup is finished with miso before serving. Being a vegetarian dish, the stock is said to be made from kelp and shiitake. Some areas add root vegetables such as daikon, burdock, or taro, treating each as a kind of 'cousin' to the beans, it is said.
Why it took this shape
The soup is said to have taken root as a meal served to guests gathered at temples and parishioner households for the autumn memorial service held on the anniversary of a Buddhist sect founder's death. Adzuki beans are said to have been his favorite food, and the soup is said to carry the meaning of repaying his kindness — a character as a ceremonial dish that is said to remain strong even today.
Before you go
- Foods to look for in winterA guide to foods often seen in Japan around winter — nabe hot pot, fugu, oysters, crab, year-end soba, and osechi — with rough pointers for finding them.
- Osechi and zoni for the New YearA guide to the meaning behind osechi's tiered boxes, the regional differences in zoni (square vs. round mochi, clear vs. miso broth), and the nanakusa-gayu custom.
- Setsubun: ehomaki and lucky beansA guide to ehomaki, the uncut sushi roll said to be eaten facing a lucky direction on Setsubun, and to mamemaki, the bean-throwing custom with roasted lucky beans.
Dishes in the same style
- Aichi Miso OdenA pot of sweet red miso sits in the center of the simmering pot, and daikon, tofu, and other ingredients simmered in dashi are dipped into it before eating. While soy-based Kanto-style oden spread in Edo, Aichi is said to have settled on dipping in soybean miso instead.
- Aichi ZoniSquare mochi and mochina, a traditional Owari green, are served in a plain clear broth for New Year — a notably simple zoni. It's speculated that using miso so often in daily cooking is exactly why a clear broth is chosen for this festive occasion, deliberately leaving miso out.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Ishikawa
- AimazeRoot vegetables from Noto's reddish soil are cut into thin strips and simmered with fried tofu — traditionally made ahead for New Year and other special days, with the choice of vegetables shifting from village to village.
- Beka NabeSardines pickled in rice bran are simmered with napa cabbage, mushrooms, and sake lees in this Noto winter hot pot, said to descend from a preservation method from before refrigeration — its name reputedly a nod to how commonly the cheap fish was eaten.
- Daikon-zushiA fermented sushi from the Kaga region layering daikon radish with dried herring in rice koji. Said to have taken root once herring carried by the Kitamae trading ships reached ordinary tables, it now sits alongside kaburazushi as a New Year staple.
- EbisuMelted agar is mixed with beaten egg, sugar, and soy sauce, then set — said to trace back to an egg-and-agar dish recorded in an Edo-period cookbook, nicknamed "berobero" for its glossy, slippery look, and served on festive occasions.
- Goshiki NamagashiFive kinds of mochi and buns, each representing sun, moon, mountain, sea, and village, are arranged in a lidded box — a Kanazawa wedding confection said to trace back to a gift prepared for a Kaga domain bride, still handed out as a return gift at celebrations.
- UFO RamenA bowl from Hakui, Ishikawa, a town known for its UFO-sighting lore, served under the local Hakui UFO Gourmet banner. Sushi shops and Western-style diners alike top a soy-based broth with saucer-shaped garnishes, each putting its own spin on the town's story.