Tori-dango soup with spinach, hakusai and mushrooms.

SERVES 4-6

2 litres dashi

3 shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped 3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp salt

2–3 hakusai (Chinese cabbage) leaves, chopped into 2–3 cm pieces

30g dried harusame (vermicelli noodles), soaked in warm water

3 tbsp cornflour

250g English spinach, blanched and chopped, to garnish

Coriander leaves, to garnish

30g spring onions, chopped, to garnish 1 tsp yuzu pepper paste*, to garnish

DASHI (MAKES 1 LITRE)

10 x 5cm piece of kombu (kelp) About 1 cup bonito flakes

TORI-DANGO (MINCED CHICKEN BALLS)

500g minced chicken

3 shiitake mushrooms, finely sliced 4–5cm piece of fresh ginger, grated 2 tbsp chopped spring onion

1 tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 egg

1 tsp salt

For the dashi, combine 1 litre of water and the kombu in a large saucepan and simmer over a low heat. Just before the water starts to boil, remove the kombu. Add the bonito flakes to the saucepan. Cook over a low heat for 2 minutes and gently skim any foam from the surface using a fine-mesh strainer. Don’t stir – doing so will make it bitter.

Turn off the heat and drain the stock through a finemesh sieve into a bowl. Discard the bonito flakes. Dashi will keep in the fridge for 2 days, and can be frozen in resealable bags.

Mix the tori-dango ingredients together well. You can use wet hands to shape the balls, but the softness of this mixture means that using two spoons is more effective. Each ball should be about 30g.

Pour the dashi into a large stockpot. Add the mushrooms and bring to the boil. Once the mushrooms are soft, after about 5 minutes, add the soy sauce and salt, then reduce the heat to low. Using a spoon, carefully lower the chicken balls into the stock. Simmer for 10 minutes, until they are cooked. Add the hakusai and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the harusame and cook for a further 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine 60ml water and cornflour and mix well. Add the cornflour mixture to the broth and stir until the soup is nice and thick.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with spinach, coriander and spring onion, then add the yuzu pepper paste on top. * You only need a tiny bit of yuzu pepper to enjoy its flavour and hint of spiciness. If you like spicy food, feel free to add more. For kids, I recommend leaving it out.