Autumn Kabocha and Aged Miso Dashi with Silken Tofu

Introduction

As the morning mist clings to the moss stones of the temple garden, we turn to the grounding warmth of the earth. Today’s bowl is a meditation on the transition of seasons, featuring kabocha squash kissed by binchotan fire and the deep, resonant hum of white miso I started fermenting three winters ago. This soup is not merely nourishment; it is a quiet dialogue between the smoky char of the grill and the clarity of kombu dashi.

Ingredients

• 1000ml Kombu dashi, cold-extracted for 12 hours
• 200g Kabocha squash, sliced into thin 1cm crescents with skin intact
• 150g Fresh silken tofu, hand-cut into 2cm cubes
• 4 Large dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp Three-year aged white miso
• 1 tsp Aged tamari
• Fresh mitsuba leaves for garnish
• 1 small Yuzu, peel carved into fine needle-like slivers
• A pinch of sea salt
• 1 drop Toasted sesame oil per bowl

Instructions

1. Slowly heat the kombu dashi in a clay pot, removing the kombu just before the first bubble breaks the surface.
2. Light the binchotan charcoal and grill the kabocha crescents until the edges are blackened and caramelized, while the center remains tender.
3. Simmer the shiitake ribbons in the dashi for five minutes to release their forest-like essence.
4. Place the aged miso in a small miso-strainer and dissolve it into the broth using a wooden spoon, ensuring no clumps remain.
5. Add the tamari and a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness of the miso.
6. Gently slide the silken tofu cubes into the broth, keeping the heat at a bare simmer; do not allow the soup to boil once the miso is added.
7. Carefully place one charred kabocha slice in a handcrafted ceramic bowl.
8. Ladle the hot soup and tofu over the squash, arranging the tofu asymmetrically.
9. Garnish with mitsuba leaves, a single drop of sesame oil, and the yuzu slivers to provide a high, bright note of aroma.

Sit in silence as you sip. Let the warmth travel through you, noticing the way the citrus of the yuzu cuts through the richness of the squash. In shojin ryori, we find the universe in a single bowl. May your day be as balanced and intentional as this broth.

Hiroshi