Hiyajiru (冷や汁 (Hiyajiru))
Overview
Hiyajiru is a cold miso soup from Miyazaki on the island of Kyushu. Grilled white fish or dried sardines are flaked and ground in a suribachi mortar with toasted sesame seeds and barley miso, then the paste is spread inside the bowl and briefly toasted over a flame for a smoky aroma. It is thinned with cold dashi or water, and crumbled firm tofu, thinly sliced cucumber, shiso leaves and myoga ginger are added with a few ice cubes. The very cold soup is poured over hot or barley rice and eaten quickly. It is salty, nutty and refreshing.
History
Hiyajiru is a summer speciality of Miyazaki Prefecture and has been eaten by farmers in the region for centuries as a quick, cooling meal during the hot, humid season. Similar cold soups were known in other parts of Japan, and versions are recorded in old writings, but Miyazaki made it famous and it is now a popular local dish in restaurants. In 2007 it was selected by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture as one of the hundred best local dishes of rural Japan.
Main ingredients
Barley miso, grilled fish, tofu, cucumber, shiso, sesame. The soup is built on cold dashi and miso and is usually served cold. Diet: pescatarian; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Fish and seafood soups · Cucumber soups · Barley and grains soups · More soups from Japan
Recipe
Method
- 1
Grill the fish, remove the skin and bones and flake it.
- 2
Grind the sesame seeds in a mortar, then add the fish and miso and grind to a paste.
- 3
Spread the paste in a heatproof bowl and toast it under a grill or with a flame until fragrant.
- 4
Whisk in the cold dashi, then add the tofu, cucumber, shiso and ice.
- 5
Pour over rice and serve at once.
- ✓
Serve. About 35 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
