Zosui

Method

1. Put 350 ml of water and 3 g of kombu in a small saucepan and leave to soak for 20 minutes. Set over a low heat and bring slowly to just below a simmer, about 8 minutes — small bubbles at the edge only. Lift out the kombu the moment the water threatens to boil, or the dashi will turn bitter and slippery.
2. Take the pan off the heat, scatter in 5 g of katsuobushi and let it sink for 2 minutes without stirring. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug, pressing nothing — you should have about 300 ml of clear golden dashi. Rinse the pan and return the dashi to it.
3. Tip 150 g of cooked rice into a sieve and rinse briefly under cold running water, separating the grains with your fingers until the water runs clear. Drain well. This washing off of surface starch is what keeps zosui a clean soup rather than a porridge.
4. Slice 2 shiitake thinly, cut 20 g of carrot into fine 3 cm matchsticks, and slice 1 spring onion on the diagonal, keeping the white and green parts separate. Beat 1 egg in a small bowl with chopsticks, just until the yolk and white are loosely combined — a few streaks are wanted.