From the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | |
| Loach (medium) | 1 kg |
| Burdock | 2 |
| Eggplant | 10 |
| Taro | 20 |
| Fried tofu (cut into strips) | 5 sheets |
| Long onion | 5 |
| Udon noodles to cook in the soup | 20 balls |
| Seasonings and liquids | |
| Salt | 200 g |
| Medium-colored miso | 1 kg |
| Sake | 3 go |
| Garnishes (soy sauce, green onion, chili, garlic, myoga) | as desired |
Loach is said to taste best from June to July, before the egg-laying season. It has less fat than eel but is rich in vitamins and minerals, and when cooked it can be eaten bones and all, so it has long been loved as a well-balanced food.
It has long been a dish of “doyo,” the hottest days of summer, to keep away summer tiredness. Families took turns making it as a treat for summer events.
After rice planting ends and farm work calms down, men used to catch loach from reservoirs and rivers. Dojo-jiru is stewed with vegetables such as burdock, taro and long onion, and freshly made udon, and men usually did the cooking.
When villagers worked together or held meetings, loach was cooked in a big pot and shared with neighbors and relatives, which helped bring people closer.
Water is put on to boil, and burdock, eggplant, taro and fried tofu are cut. The loach is drained and put in a bucket with sake. When the loach stops moving, drunk from the sake, it is rubbed with salt to remove the slime.
Fried tofu, taro and eggplant go into the boiling pot first, and the washed loach is added after they are cooked. When it boils again, the udon goes in. When the udon is cooked, the rest of the ingredients are added, and the soup is seasoned with miso and sake. People add garnishes they like.
There are fewer natural loach now, and loach has become a luxury fish. Still, the habit of eating dojo-jiru continues. Some restaurants in the prefecture serve “dojo udon,” and it is still served at village work gatherings and meetings.
Towns that have the habit hold events where people compare the taste of dojo-jiru, as one way of passing it to the next generation.
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.