Steps

1. Lightly scrape and wash the gobo root, then pound it with a rolling pin and break it into bite-sized pieces by hand. Pounding the gobo helps the flavor to soak in more easily from the broken surfaces.
   🕒 01:23
2. Soak the broken gobo in a bowl of water (1 cup) with a little vinegar to remove bitterness and maintain color.
   🕒 02:10
3. Tear the konjac jelly into bite-sized pieces by hand. It's best to use konjac jelly that has already been pre-treated for bitterness. If not, blanch it quickly to remove any bitterness.
   🕒 02:29
4. Tear the chikuwa into bite-sized pieces by hand and make shallow cuts. Making cuts in the chikuwa allows the flavors to penetrate more effectively.
   🕒 02:54
5. Cut off the tough stems from the shiitake mushrooms and tear the caps into three pieces by hand.
   🕒 03:17
6. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a frying pan. Add the drained gobo (approx. 100g), torn konjac jelly (200g), torn shiitake mushrooms (2-3 pieces), and torn chikuwa (4 pieces). Stir-fry briefly to coat with oil.
   🕒 03:34
7. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.
   🕒 04:03
8. Once boiling, add 5g of bonito flakes (Katsuobushi) directly to the pan. This saves the step of making dashi broth, as the bonito flakes are cooked along with the other ingredients.
   🕒 04:22
9. Add 2 tbsp of mirin (sweet rice wine), 2 tbsp of cooking sake (rice wine), 2 tbsp of soy sauce, and 1 tbsp of sugar. Mix well.
   🕒 04:47
10. Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat. Periodically open the lid to submerge the puffing chikuwa and flip the ingredients to ensure even flavor absorption.
    🕒 05:06
11. Increase the heat to reduce excess liquid and simmer until it reaches your desired consistency to finish.
    🕒 06:34