Chicken and Potato Soup (Satsuma-Jiru)

Serve this hot on a blustery day with rice and Japanese pickles or daerk bread and a green salad. From Elizabeth Andoh's classic "At Home With Japanese Cooking". I substitute a little firm tofu (unblanched) for the konnyaku; it's not the same, but adds some bulk. Use bone-in chicken, the bones are important for a rich stock.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  small chicken breast halves, with skin and bone
• 1  tablespoon sake
• 1 -3  small  whole new potato, peeled (Or sato-imo, Japanese country potatoes, if available)
• 2 -3  inches daikon radishes (Japanese white radish, about 4 ounces, or 2 small turnips)
• 1  small carrot
• 1⁄2  cake  Konnyaku (gelatinous cake made from a tuberous vegetable) (optional)
• 3 1⁄2-4  cups water
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons  sendai miso (dark bean paste)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon mirin

Directions

1. Cut eash chicken breast into 4 pieces and blanch them in boiling water for 30 econds. Drain and pour the sake over the chicken and let it stand while preparing the vegetables.
2. Cut the peeled potatoes obliquely into bite-size pieces. Soak in very salty cold water for at least 5 minutes, then rinse under fresh cold water and drain.
3. Peel the radish and cut into 1/2-inch-thick half moons, or peel the turnips and cut each into quarters. Peel the carrot and cut it obliquely into bite-size pieces.
4. Dice the konnyaku into 12-16 cubes and blanch them for 1 minute in boiling water. Drain well.
5. In a large pot, combine the chicken through the konnyaku and enough water to cover all generously. Bring to a boil and skim the surface frequently for the first five minutes. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook the soup for 15 minutes. Measure out the miso into a separate bowl and ladle some hot soup over it, stirring to dissolve. Add the dissolved miso to the soup and continue to cook for 7-8 more minutes, but do NOT let it boil! Just before serving, stir in the mirin.