Steps

1. Trim the stems from 2 shiitake mushrooms. Thinly slice the caps and tear the stems into pieces by hand.
   🕒 02:00
2. Tear 150g of lettuce into bite-sized pieces by hand.
   🕒 02:41
3. Trim the root end of 1 myoga (Japanese ginger), then thinly slice it crosswise. Rinse quickly under water and drain.
   🕒 03:29
4. Finely chop a little scallions (green part).
   🕒 04:01
5. Mince 1/4 green onion (long part).
   🕒 04:20
6. Remove any skin from 200g of bonito, cut into bite-sized pieces, then mince finely with a knife until it has a ground texture.
   🕒 04:40
7. Add the minced 1/4 green onion (long part) and the minced 200g of bonito to a bowl.
   🕒 06:22
8. Add the seasonings from [A] (1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp mirin (sweet rice wine), 1/2 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp potato starch, 2 pinches salt) to the bowl. Mix well with your hands until sticky.
   🕒 06:34
9. Combine the ingredients from [B] (600cc water, 50cc cooking sake (rice wine), 3g kombu (dried kelp)) in a pot and heat.
   🕒 07:23
10. Once the pot comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and add bite-sized balls of the fish mixture to the pot. This is the key! Simmer gently without boiling to ensure the fish balls remain moist and juicy, not dry.
    🕒 07:59
11. Once the fish balls change color, add the sliced 2 shiitake mushrooms to the pot and cook until tender.
    🕒 09:08
12. Carefully skim off any scum that rises to the surface while cooking.
    🕒 09:19
13. Once the fish balls float to the surface, indicating they are cooked, remove the kombu (dried kelp).
    🕒 09:45
14. Add the seasonings from [C] (2 tbsp light soy sauce (usukuchi), 2 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine), 2 pinches salt) and season the soup.
    🕒 10:11
15. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed.
    🕒 10:22
16. Add the torn 150g of lettuce to the pot and cook briefly. This is the key! Since lettuce can be eaten raw, don't overcook it; just cook until it's slightly wilted.
    🕒 10:40
17. Ladle the fish ball soup into bowls.
    🕒 11:23
18. Sprinkle with the chopped scallions (green part) and the rinsed 1 myoga (Japanese ginger).
    🕒 11:30
19. Finish with a sprinkle of black pepper.
    🕒 11:40