Layered Kabu Turnip and Silken Tofu with Yuzu-Kombu Dashi

Introduction

Today tasting course centers on the humble kabu turnip—sweet, translucent, and receptive to the quiet power of aged cedar-cured tamari. In this layered composition, paper-thin shaved sheets of binchotan-kissed kabu alternate with freshly curdled silken tofu, suspended in a warm, pristine kombu dashi scented with winter yuzu peel.

Ingredients

• 2 medium Japanese kabu turnips, scrubbed and peeled
• 200g freshly made silken tofu (kinugoshi), gently drained and pressed
• 1 piece Rishiri kombu (about 10g), wiped gently with a damp cloth
• 3 cups cold soft spring water
• 1 tablespoon aged artisanal tamari
• 1 tablespoon dry vegan junmai sake
• 1 teaspoon naturally fermented white shiro miso
• 1 small yuzu, peel shaved into delicate pine-needle slivers
• 1 teaspoon cold-pressed roasted sesame oil
• 4 purple shiso blossoms, for finishing
• 1 pinch fine sea salt (moshio)

Instructions

1. Prepare the ichiban kombu dashi by steeping the Rishiri kombu in cold spring water for at least 4 hours, then gently heating over very low flame until small bubbles form along the edges; remove the kelp and keep the broth at a gentle 80°C.
2. Perform paper-thin katsuramuki style slicing on the kabu turnips, carving them into uniform 2 mm delicate circular rounds.
3. Lightly brush half of the turnip discs with roasted sesame oil and sear briefly over glowing binchotan charcoal or an intensely hot dry cast-iron skillet for 20 seconds per side until faint blistered specks appear.
4. Simmer the remaining uncharred turnip discs gently in one cup of the kombu dashi seasoned with sake and moshio salt until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes.
5. Season the remaining warm kombu dashi with aged tamari and dissolved white miso, straining through layered cheesecloth for absolute clarity.
6. Carefully portion the pressed silken tofu into uniform matching circles.
7. In the center of warm wabi-sabi ceramic bowls, assemble the mille-feuille by alternating charred turnip, simmered turnip, and delicate silken tofu in neat layers.
8. Ladle the hot yuzu-infused dashi gently around the base of the tower, crowning each presentation with shaved yuzu slivers and fresh shiso blossoms.

Serve immediately in a hand-thrown chawan ceramic bowl. Let each layer melt together, carrying the deep soil of Kyoto and the crisp breath of early seasonal frost into a solitary, warming moment.

Hiroshi