Imoni (Yamagata-Style Taro and Beef Soup)

Name: Imoni (Yamagata-Style Taro and Beef Soup)
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: Thinly sliced beef (komagire) 250g; Taro (satoimo) 6–8 (about 500 g); Japanese leek (naganegi) 1 stalk; Maitake mushrooms 1 pack (about 100 g); Konnyaku (labeled "no pre-boiling needed") 1 (about 250 g); Dashi granules (Japanese soup stock) 1 tsp; Water 1 L (+ a little for adjusting the taste); Paper towels 2 sheets; Salt (for removing the taro's slime) 1 tsp; Sake (Japanese rice wine) 3 tbsp; Sugar 2 tbsp; Soy sauce 4 tbsp; Plastic gloves 1 pair

Serves 4 · About 50 min
A soup from Yamagata: taro, beef, konnyaku and Japanese leek simmered in a soy sauce and sugar broth. In autumn, people often make it in a big pot and eat it together.

① Prepare the taro→② Cut the other ingredients→③ Simmer the taro→④ Season and add the beef→⑤ Add the leek and finish

What to buy

Meat

Thinly sliced beef (komagire)Beef trimmings (kiriotoshi) are also OK250g

Vegetables

Taro (satoimo)6–8 (about 500 g)Japanese leek (naganegi)1 stalkMaitake mushrooms1 pack (about 100 g)Konnyaku (labeled "no pre-boiling needed")1 (about 250 g)

Seasonings & dry goods

Dashi granules (Japanese soup stock)1 tsp

Check what you already have

Water1 L (+ a little for adjusting the taste)Paper towels2 sheetsSalt (for removing the taro's slime)1 tspSake (Japanese rice wine)3 tbspSugar2 tbspSoy sauce4 tbspPlastic glovesFor people whose hands get itchy from taro1 pair

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How to make it

Prepare the taro

About 15 min

Wash the taro in water to remove dirt, then wipe the surface dry with a paper towel or cloth (they slip when wet)
If your hands get itchy, wear plastic gloves
Put one on the cutting board and cut a little off the top and bottom. Stand it on a cut end and move the knife from top to bottom to peel the skin in strips
Cut large ones in half (so they can be eaten in one bite)
Put them in a bowl, sprinkle with 1 tsp salt, and rub with your hands. Rinse off the slime that comes out with water

How to tell it's doneAll the taro is peeled, and most of the slimy surface is gone.

Be carefulPeeled taro is slippery. Put it on the cutting board and curl the fingertips of the hand holding it while you cut.

Cut the other ingredients

About 5 min

Rinse the konnyaku with water and tear into bite-size pieces with a spoon
On a cutting board, cut the leek diagonally into 1.5 cm wide pieces
Cut off any hard base of the maitake, and pull it apart by hand into bite-size pieces
Cut only the big pieces of beef to about 5 cm

How to tell it's doneThe konnyaku, leek, maitake and beef are set out separately.

Simmer the taro

Medium → Medium-low heatAbout 15 min

Put 1 L water, the taro and the konnyaku in a large pot, cover with a lid, and put it over medium heat
When it boils, set the lid slightly off to one side and cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes
If it looks like it will boil over, turn the heat down a little

How to tell it's doneA bamboo skewer slides easily into the biggest piece of taro.

Season and add the beef

Medium heatAbout 5 min

Add 3 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp dashi granules and 4 tbsp soy sauce
When it starts to bubble, add the beef spreading out each slice, and add the maitake too
Scoop out the brownish foam (scum) that comes up with a ladle and throw it away
Simmer as it is for 3 minutes

How to tell it's doneAll the beef has turned brown, with no red parts left.

Add the leek and finish

Medium heatAbout 2 min

Add the leek and simmer 2 minutes
Taste it. If too salty, add a little water. If too weak, add soy sauce 1 tsp at a time

ReadyThe leek is soft. Serve in bowls with the soup.

📚 Learn more about this dish

📜Food originsHow imoni beganImoni (taro stew) from Yamagata is said to have begun in the mid-1600s, when boatmen shared a pot on the banks of the Mogami River.→

🥬 Ingredient guide

Dashi Konnyaku Naganegi (Japanese leek)Shoyu (soy sauce)

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Aku (scum)Boiling Heat levels (high, medium, low)Hitokuchi-dai (bite-size)Naname-giri (diagonal slices)

If it didn't work out

The taro is hardIt was not simmered long enough in step 3. Before adding the beef, add 5 minutes at a time until a bamboo skewer slides in easily.

The soup is cloudy and thickNot enough slime was removed in step 1. Next time, rub well with salt and wash. The taste does not change, so it is fine to eat as is.

The beef is toughIt was simmered too long in step 4. Next time, move on 3 minutes after adding the beef.

My hands got itchyThis is caused by the taro skin. Rinse your hands with water. Next time, wear plastic gloves.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me