UWO SHIRU (Fish Soup)

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds fish (mild variety such as cod, haddock, or bass) (Any mild white fish works well; lobster or shrimp may also be used.)
• 0.25 pound fat pork (Cut into small pieces before cooking.)
• 1 pound miso paste (bean and rice paste) (Traditional Japanese fermented soybean and rice paste; white or yellow miso is a good modern choice.)
• 0.5 cup syou sauce (soy sauce) (Use a standard Japanese soy sauce (shoyu).)
• 1 cup cooking juice sauce (A savoury cooking liquid referenced in the original text; use a light dashi or mild stock as the closest modern equivalent.)
• 1 small carrot (Peeled and grated.)
• 2 whole onions (Peeled and grated.)
• 3 whole hard-boiled eggs (Boil until fully set; slice for garnish.)
• 2 tablespoons cooked, chopped ham (Finely chopped or grated for sprinkling over the finished soup.)
• 0 to taste pepper (Add to taste.)
• 0 to taste salt (Add to taste; note that miso and soy sauce are already salty.)
• 0 to taste sugar (Add a small pinch to balance the savoury flavours.)
• 0 to taste spices (Unspecified in the original; use what you have available, such as a pinch of ground ginger or white pepper.)
• 1.5 pints (approximately 3 cups) boiling water (Used to dissolve the miso paste; keep extra hot water nearby to top up during the long boil.)
• 0 to taste chopped parsley (Fresh parsley, finely chopped, for sprinkling over the finished bowls.)

Instructions

1. 1Place the 3 eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water, and leave them to cool completely. Once cool, peel and set aside — these will be sliced for garnish at the end.
2. 2Cut the quarter-pound of fat pork into small, bite-sized pieces, roughly 1–2 cm across. Place a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork pieces (no extra oil is needed — the fat in the pork will render out). Fry, stirring occasionally, until the pork is golden brown on all sides. This should take about 5–7 minutes. Do not discard the rendered fat; it will be used to fry the fish in the next step.
3. 3While the pork is frying, wash the 1½ pounds of fish under cold running water. Using your fingers or tweezers, carefully remove all bones. Chop the fish into small, rough pieces about 2–3 cm across. Once the pork is golden brown, add the chopped fish directly to the pot with the pork and its rendered fat. Fry together for 3–4 minutes, stirring gently, until the fish is just opaque and starting to colour. The fish does not need to be fully cooked through at this stage.
4. 4Peel the small carrot and both onions, then grate them using the coarse side of a box grater. Add the grated carrot and onions to the pot with the pork and fish. Pour in the half cup of syou sauce (soy sauce) and the cup of cooking juice sauce. Season with pepper, salt, and spices to taste, and add a small pinch of sugar. Stir everything together well to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the contents of the pot to a boil, stirring occasionally.
5. 5Bring 1½ pints (approximately 3 cups) of water to a boil in a kettle or separate saucepan. Place the pound of miso paste in a large bowl or jug. Pour the boiling water over the miso paste gradually, whisking or stirring vigorously until the miso is fully dissolved and no lumps remain. Once the pot of vegetables, pork, and fish has come to a boil, pour the dissolved miso mixture into the pot. Stir everything together thoroughly.
6. 6Bring the soup back to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a steady, gentle boil (not a rolling boil, but more than a simmer). Cook uncovered for one hour, stirring every 10–15 minutes. Keep a kettle of hot water nearby — if the soup reduces significantly and looks too thick or dry, add a splash of boiling water to maintain a soup-like consistency. The long cook time develops a deep, rich flavour.
7. 7Remove the pot from the heat. Set a fine-mesh sieve or strainer over a large bowl or jug and carefully ladle the soup through it, pressing lightly on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids left in the strainer. Ladle the strained soup into individual soup bowls. Slice the peeled hard-boiled eggs and arrange a few slices on top of each bowl. Sprinkle each bowl with finely chopped parsley and a little of the cooked, chopped ham. Serve immediately.