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Sekai Gohan
Fukagawa-meshi: Tokyo Clams Simmered in Miso over Rice
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Shucked clams (asari, mukimi) | 3¼ oz (90 g) | The center of the bowl; meat only, no shells |
| Long leek (naga-negi) | 1 oz (25 g) | Sweetness and the doneness cue |
| Red miso (aka miso) | 1⅓ oz (37 g) | Half of the miso base |
| White miso (shiro miso) | 1⅓ oz (37 g) | The other half of the miso base |
| Sake | 1 tsp | Loosens and blends the two misos |
| Water | 1⅔ cups (400 ml) | The broth |
| Chopped nori (kizami nori) | a pinch | Finishing aroma on top |
| Cooked rice | as needed | The base of the bowl |
Steps
1Blend the red and white miso with sake
Put the red miso and white miso in a small bowl and add the sake. Stir and press with a spoon or spatula, scraping the sides, until the two colors come together. Keep going until no streaks of red or pale miso are left and the paste is even all the way through. Set it beside the stove.
2Wash the clam meat quickly and gently
Put the shucked clams in a bowl of cold water. Swish them with your fingertips, quickly and gently, to loosen any dirt without tearing the soft meat. Lift them out into a strainer and let them drain. They are ready when the water around them looks clean and no grit settles at the bottom of the bowl.
3Halve the leek lengthwise and cut it on the diagonal
Lay the leek on the board and split it in half lengthwise. Lay each half cut side down and slice it on a sharp diagonal into pieces ¾ inch (2 cm) wide. The layers will separate into open, curved strips. The leek is ready when the pieces are open C-shapes with straight split edges, not closed rings.
The flat split side down keeps the half-stalk steady under the knife 4Boil the water and dissolve the miso
Pour the water into a small pot and bring it to a full boil. Add the miso paste and stir it with a wooden spoon, pressing any lumps against the side of the pot. Keep stirring until the miso has dissolved completely. The broth is ready when it is evenly cloudy with no clumps at the bottom.
Press the paste against the pot wall so it melts rather than sinking as one clump 5Add the clams and leek over high heat
When the miso broth comes back to a boil, add the clams and the leek together. Turn the heat to high and give everything a quick stir so the pieces spread out in the broth. If the pot starts boiling too hard, lower the heat a little. The broth should be bubbling steadily around the clams and leek.
One or two sweeps through the pot is enough to spread the pieces 6Turn off the heat when the leek turns translucent
Watch the white parts of the leek, not the clock. They start out opaque and slowly turn glassy from the edges inward. Turn off the heat as soon as the white parts look clear. The clams should be plump and the broth a deep miso color.
7Fill the bowl with rice and lay the leek on top
Scoop cooked rice into the serving bowl with the paddle and level the top a little. Lift the leek out of the pot with a spoon or chopsticks and spread it over the rice. Cover the surface so the clams have a bed to sit on. The rice should be topped with an even layer of soft leek.
Spread the leek all the way to the edges so every spoonful gets some 8Add the clams and finish with nori
Spoon the clams from the pot onto the leek, piling them in the center. Scatter a pinch of chopped nori over the top. Serve right away, while the nori is still crisp and fragrant on the hot clams. The bowl is done when you see white rice at the edges, green and white leek, clams in the middle and dark nori on top.
Add the nori last; it softens quickly on hot food