During the Edo Period (1603-1868), the fish market serving the area now known as Tokyo was located in the waterside Tsukuda neighborhood. There, small, bruised fish and other seafood and vegetables with little or no commercial value were simmered in a mixture of soy sauce and mirin to delay spoilage. Huge vats of seasoned soy sauce became deeply flavored with each addition of salvaged seafood. When necessary, the mixture was thinned with water.
In the households of those who worked at the market, various kitchen scraps were repurposed by soy-stewing them into gohan no tomo (literally translated as “rice friends”; relishes to be served with rice). Reclaimed items prepared by soy-stewing came to be known as tsukudani, or “simmered in the manner of Tsukuda.” Tasty and inexpensive, tsukudani became a staple among the common people.
Hundreds of years later, tsukudani remain a mealtime favorite with a broad demographic. Though prepared tsukudani are bestsellers at convenience stores and supermarkets, I prefer to make my own additive-free versions in the spirit of old-fashioned frugality as well as modern-day sustainability. Once made, tsukudani keep for weeks in the refrigerator, ready to top a bowl of rice, stuff an onigiri or fill an empty spot in a bento. Tsukudani also make a great snack to have with beer or sake.
I prepare a simple kelp-based stock often to use in all sorts of soups, sauces and simmered dishes. I save the kombu after I’ve extracted the stock and transform it, tsukudani style, into delicious relishes. If it will take you more than a week to accumulate 5 or 6 pieces of spent kombu, I suggest storing yours in the freezer rather than the refrigerator.
In Tokyo, shin-shōga (new ginger) is readily available during the rainy season, when dampened spirits (and languishing metabolisms) most benefit from its juicy spiciness tempered with a hint of sweetness. At this time of year, I like to add lots of slivered shin-shōga to my kombu tsukudani.
Kombu stock
A simple stock can be made by soaking kombu in water then slowly simmering it. Kombu stock is subtle, but using it will enhance the flavor of whatever you choose to cook with it — not just Japanese dishes.
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients:
• 5 or 6 8-by-4-centimeter kombu pieces
• 4 cups cold water
1. Place the kombu in a glass jar with the water. Set aside at room temperature for at least 20 minutes and up to several hours. If it suits your kitchen schedule better, you can place your jar in the refrigerator for six to eight hours or up to two days. This kombu-infused water, called kombu-jiru in Japanese, has lots of flavor and can be used as is to make soups, sauces and simmered dishes.
2. To draw out deeper flavors, pour the softened kombu with the water in which it was soaked into a pot. Set the pot over gentle heat and — very slowly — bring it to just before boiling. Stop when small bubbles begin to break on the surface of the water and around the rim of your pot.
3. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain this gentle simmer and cook for five minutes. Skim away any froth that appears.
4. Use the stock immediately or let it cool in the pot. Remove the kombu to make tsukudani. Transfer the stock to a glass jar to store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Freezing is not recommended; the stock often develops unpleasant iodine overtones upon defrosting.
Tsukudani-style kombu and shin-shōga relish
For storage, I have a small, lidded container I keep in my refrigerator dedicated to kombu after making stock. It was gifted to me by my mother-in-law in the early 1970s. As it fills up, the flower-decorated lid becomes hard to close, a gentle reminder that it’s time for me to make another batch of tsukudani.
Makes about 1/2 cup
Ingredients:
• 5 or 6 8-by-4-centimeter kombu pieces, leftover from making stock (see kombu stock recipe)
• 2 to 3 cups cold water
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 15 grams shin-shōga, scraped and sliced into thin slivers
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon sake
• 3 tablespoons mirin
• 4 to 5 tablespoons soy sauce
1. Cut each piece of kombu, with the grain, into 2-3-centimeter strips. Do not stack the pieces when cutting them — kombu gets slippery. You may find it easier and safer to cut the kombu with scissors. If you prefer a knife, insert the tip first and use it like a pencil to draw a line through the kombu.
If you have frozen your kombu for storage, defrost it before cutting. If you are pressed for time, rinse the kombu briefly in tap water to make it pliable, blot dry with paper towels.
2. In a non-reactive pot (enamel, glass or lined with non-stick coating), bring two to three cups of tap water to a rolling boil. Add the vinegar to help tenderize the fibrous kombu. The relish will not taste sour or tart because this tenderizing bath will be discarded.
3. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady, vigorous boil, then cook the kombu strips for about five minutes. The water may become murky with a green hue, and the kombu may begin to blister — neither is a cause for alarm.
4. Pull a strip of kombu from the pot and test it for tenderness; your fingernail should easily leave a mark on the surface. If necessary, continue cooking for another two to three minutes, then strain and rinse the kombu briefly in cold water before straining again.
5. Rinse and dry your pot, then return the softened kombu strips to the pot and add the shin-shōga slivers. Add the sugar, sake, mirin and four tablespoons of water. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, adding another tablespoon or so of water if necessary to keep the kombu and shin-shōga from scorching.
6. While simmering, place an otoshi-buta (drop lid) or a piece of parchment paper on the kombu and shin-shōga; this will keep the food moist as it cooks.
7. Add the soy sauce and continue cooking. The liquid will become quite foamy as it reduces. When the kombu and shin-shōga look well-glazed and the liquid is nearly gone after about two minutes, remove the pot from the heat. Let the relish cool to room temperature in the pot with the lid or parchment covering it.
8. Store the tsukudani-style kombu and shin-shōga in the refrigerator in a sealed glass jar for up to three weeks. Use a clean spoon, fork or chopsticks each time you take some relish from the jar before resealing and returning it to the refrigerator.
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