Hot pot & soups
Tsubojiru
Tsubojiru — a meatless soup of tofu, burdock, and konnyaku served at Buddhist memorial meals
Firm tofu, burdock, dried shiitake, and konnyaku are cut fine and simply seasoned with soy, salt, and sugar into a meatless soup — passed down in Yukiura, Saikai, said to be served at Buddhist memorial meals, its name from the bowl it's served in, likened to a tsubo jar.
- Origin: Nagasaki Saikai
- About 970 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
A meatless, vegetarian soup from the Buddhist repertoire, made by finely cutting and simmering firm tofu, burdock, dried shiitake and konjac. In the Yukiura district of Saikai it's also known as 'ingen soup' or 'tsuboki,' and is seasoned simply with soy sauce, salt and sugar. It's remembered as a bowl served to guests after a Buddhist memorial service.
How it's made
Firm tofu, burdock, dried shiitake and konjac are all cut into small, even pieces. These are simmered and seasoned simply with soy sauce, salt and sugar. To cut the sweetness, some people stir in grated ginger just before eating. Cutting every ingredient to a matching size is said to be what gives the soup its pleasant texture.
Why it took this shape
In the Yukiura district of Saikai, the soup is said to have long been eaten as vegetarian fare at Buddhist memorial services, though its exact roots aren't clear. 'Tsubo' is thought to come from likening the serving bowl to a jar, and its meatless, fishless makeup as a vegetarian dish is still preserved today. In recent years it's said to be served more often at community gatherings and events too, valued as a taste of the past.
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 Nagasaki
- ArumadoA hard-boiled egg dyed pink is wrapped in fish paste and steamed into a kamaboko log that shows a pink-rimmed cross-section when cut — a Hirado specialty, with kin dishes called "arimado" in Sasebo and "ryugan" in Nagasaki.
- Goto UdonA hand-pulled noodle from Shinkamigoto, Nagasaki. Its technique is thought to trace back to envoys returning from Tang China, and the island's camellia oil is worked into the dough for a smooth, elastic bite.
- HanahajikiCucumber, carrot, deep-fried tofu, and shrimp are cut into strips and fanned out on a plate to be dipped in a hot mustard vinegar-miso — a dish from Isahaya said to be named for how the mustard "flicks the nose," traditionally served at Buddhist memorial services.
- HatoshiShrimp and squid paste sandwiched in bread and deep-fried, a Nagasaki specialty said to have arrived from China in the Meiji era, growing from a shippoku banquet course into a food loved across the city.
- HikadoFish or chicken and vegetables like daikon and carrot are diced fine and simmered, thickened at the end with grated sweet potato — said to originate in a meat stew eaten by Portuguese residents of Nagasaki, its name from the Portuguese word for "minced."
- HikitoshiChicken raised at home is butchered for this Iki hot pot, typically enriched with iki-doufu, a rich local tofu, and firm-boiled somen — said to have begun as a dish served to guests in the inner parlor, its name tracing to "hiki-toshi," leading a guest through.