From the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | |
| Napa cabbage | 4 leaves |
| Daikon | 1/2 |
| Potatoes (small) | 4 |
| Green onion | 2 |
| Shirataki noodles | 1 ball |
| Grilled tofu | 1 block |
| Fresh shiitake | 4 |
| Enoki mushrooms | 1 bunch |
| Shungiku (garland chrysanthemum) | 1 bunch |
| Ishiru | 1/4 cup |
| Seasonings and liquids | |
| Dashi stock (or water) | 3 1/2 cups |
| Sake | 3 tablespoons |
| Shichimi pepper, yuzu | as desired |
“Ishiru” is the fish sauce of Noto. Its name is thought to be a corruption of “uo-shiru” (fish juice), and in some places it is called “ishiri” or “yoshiru.”
No one knows exactly when it started, but it is said to have been made by at least the 1700s. One view says it goes back to the Yayoi or Kofun periods.
It is mainly made from the insides of the Japanese flying squid, and in some areas from sardines, mackerel or horse mackerel. Natural salt is added, and after salting it is fermented and aged for a few years. Each area insists that its own fish sauce is the best, so it shows a strong character.
In the days when distribution was poor, people in mountain villages, where fish were hard to get, traded rice for ishiru to add the umami of seafood to their meals.
Ishiru has a unique taste and smell, with the umami of seafood dissolved in it. It is used in many ways, with sashimi, dried fish and simmered dishes.
Seasonal seafood and vegetables are simmered in a pot with dashi and ishiru. Ishiru with its umami is delicious even just diluted with water and simmered; with kombu stock it is better still.
Another well-known dish is scallop-shell cooking, in which a scallop shell is used as the pot. This way of eating is said to have been brought by the Kitamaebune, the trading ships that connected Hokkaido and Osaka.
As today’s soy sauce, made from soybeans, has spread, the use of ishiru has been falling, and the aging of its makers is also a problem. Local makers and chambers of commerce set up an association for ishiri and ishiru makers of Noto, which tells the history of ishiru and recipes that use it.
Local restaurants are also developing new dishes with ishiru. Ishiru-nabe takes little effort, so it is still one choice for winter hot pots.
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.