Step 1

First, soak the dashi kombu seaweed in the water for about 1 hour.

Step 2

Let’s cut the vegetables. Remove the outer skin of the daikon radish.

Step 3

Cut the daikon into 5 mm (0.2") slices. Stack the slices and shred the radish into 4 cm (1.6") strips.

Step 4

Just like the daikon, cut the carrot into slices, stack and shred them into strips.

Step 5

Cut the long green onion into 1 cm (0.4") pieces using diagonal cuts.

Step 6

Next, let’s clean the fish. Lightly rinse the sardines, removing the fish scales. Remove the excess moisture with paper towels.

Step 7

Cutting the fish on a sheet of paper makes it easy to clean the cutting board later.

Step 8

Remove the head using a sharp knife.

Step 9

Slice off the belly lengthwise, removing the hard rib bones.

Step 10

Remove the innards with your fingers.

Step 11

Likewise clean the other sardine and thoroughly rinse the insides with running water.

Step 12

Place the sardines onto a plate and thoroughly remove the excess water with paper towels.

Step 13

Now, let’s fillet the sardines. First, place your thumbs onto the backbone and open the sardines from side to side.

Step 14

Break the backbone at the tail fin and gently peel it off the fillets.

Step 15

Shave the rib bones from one side.

Step 16

Rotate 180 degrees and then remove the other side of the rib bones.

Step 17

Finally, remove the tail fin.

Step 18

Now, check out the skin-side of the fillets and you’ll see this back fin.

Step 19

To remove this, cut out the middle of the fillets lengthwise with the knife.

Step 20

And now, let’s mince the fillets. First, chop them into 5 mm (0.2") pieces.

Step 21

Then, roughly mince the pieces with the knife.

Step 22

Add the miso, grated ginger, sake and cake flour. You can substitute any type of flour since the amount is so small.

Step 23

Toss to coat with the seasonings and continue mincing the fillets until even.

Step 24

Let’s make the tsumire-jiru. Put the daikon radish and carrot into the pot of the kombu dashi stock, turn on the burner and cover with a lid.

Step 25

Bring it to a boil on high heat and then reduce the heat to medium low, simmering the vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes until they soften.

Step 26

When the vegetables are cooked, add the sake.

Step 27

With a spoon, shape the minced sardines into balls with the palm of your hand.

Step 28

Drop the fish balls into the broth one at a time.

Step 29

When it begins to boil again, reduce the heat and remove the foam with a mesh strainer. Simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Step 30

When the tsumire balls begin to float to the surface, drop in the long green onion and simmer for about 1 minute.

Step 31

Finally, dissolve the miso in the broth.

Step 32

First, dissolve the miso in a ladle and then distribute it into the broth. This will help the miso to dissolve completely and avoid any lumps.

Step 33

Ladle the tsumire balls, vegetables and broth into a bowl.

Step 34

Top with the seven flavor chili powder to taste.