Article 004: Konjac and Dashi—A Quiet Conversation
Article Summary
Mild konjac takes on many faces when it meets seasonings and dashi.
Memories of oden from childhood. Udon culture in Kagawa.
Dashi works not as the star, but as what binds ingredients to the person eating—unseen, yet undeniably there.
What konjac's gentle nature teaches us about the deep connection between food and culture.
Categories
Cooking, Summer, Winter
- I'm writing about a moment from Japanese food culture that I've lived with.
I hope you'll read this with the ease of sitting around glowing coals.
1. Konjac Steak
- Konjac steak
- Simmered eggplant and fish cake
- Chilled tofu (with plenty of ginger and ground sesame)
The rainy season lingered, and lingered.
Not that rain itself troubles me.
But the whole house felt damp, and honestly—I wanted to see blue sky.
Early summer arrived, and with it, welcome invitations.
Visits to others' homes brought meals and tableware I don't usually encounter, and I was blessed with rich dining experiences.
Still, eventually I started thinking—time to return to everyday meals. Time to be kind to my body.
Around then, I asked my wife to make konjac steak for dinner.
The ingredients themselves are ordinary and affordable, but with care in cooking, they become "a dish I want to eat again."
Everyone knows how to cook it, so here I'll touch on how konjac pairs with seasonings.
The konjac I buy—if I left it at its original thickness, it would be too much to eat. So I slice it in half.
Then I score it deeply so it's easier to handle with chopsticks.
This time, considering balance with the other dishes, I used black pepper and ground sesame as seasonings.
When I want variety, I sometimes add yuzu kosho (yuzu pepper paste) or soy glaze with ginger.
Yuzu kosho has become a staple in our home.
The heat of the chili changes the whole impression of the dish.
Depending on what you eat it with, and which seasonings you choose, plain konjac shows so many different faces.
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Yuzu kosho:
A condiment made from yuzu peel, green chili peppers, and salt.
Place it on tofu and you taste something fresh yet powerful—like the landscape of fields and mountains appears before your eyes.
I'd like to make it at home, but I hesitate.
I've heard that grinding the green chilies in a mortar involves a fierce battle with the stinging sensation that hits your eyes.
2. Midsummer Heat
- Konjac steak (with red yuzu kosho)
- Stir-fried chicken gizzards
- Simmered daikon with egg
- Sesame tofu
- Salad
Summer arrived in full force.
I paired the mild konjac with meat dishes I love.
The heat made me want something sharp—so this time, red yuzu kosho.
Konjac goes well with tart daikon salad too. With cucumber dressed in yuzu miso.
Two weeks later, I asked my wife again—konjac steak, this time with soy glaze.
That was dinner.
3. Oden
When I was small, oden was the dish that represented winter at home, simmered on the stove.
The smell of dashi spread through every room.
I couldn't wait—I'd lift the lid. My mother would scold me. Every time.
Among the oden ingredients, triangular konjac paired well with mustard—I loved it.
Sometimes there were fish or chicken dumplings, kombu, big shiitake mushrooms—a variety of ingredients from mountain and sea.
The flavor of the dashi varied too.
Sweet and savory sometimes. Mild at other times. Sometimes dark in color.
Looking back now, it may have been quite a luxury.
This is how my feelings about dashi began, from when I was small.
4. The Audience (The Person Eating)
By chance, someone told me about the excellence of French cuisine.
I understood—in France, sauce takes the leading role. It's the heart of the culture.
Dashi, on the other hand, seems to work differently—at least that's how it looks to me.
Not as the star, but as what binds the performance to the audience. The ingredients to the person eating.
But I'm not certain.
To do something and to understand it—these are far apart.
I'll need much more time to grasp what that binding truly means.
The same is true for dashi culture.
5. Oden in Kagawa Prefecture
For the longest time, I thought oden belonged to winter only.
Then I visited udon shops in Kagawa, Shikoku.
Oden was served year-round. I was surprised.
People ate it as a light bite while waiting for kama-age udon.
Kama-age udon takes time—ten minutes or more, like pasta.
The first time I had it, the noodles came in their boiling water.
I remember being quite confused.
So oden fills that waiting time.
It's part of the rhythm here, woven into the shops, regardless of season.
Oden—dashi culture at its finest—stays somewhat hidden behind the famous Sanuki udon.
That feels a little lonely to me.
Still, each shop has its own dashi. Each one tastes different.
Encountering these regional food cultures deepened my understanding of the place.
6. Homemade Country-Style Konjac
Konjac is made differently in each region.
I love the homemade kind—made at farmhouses, over well-worn kamado stoves, each piece as big as a rice bowl.
These are made in small batches.
The texture differs from mass-produced konjac.
It brings back something—a memory from when I was small.
- (Kamado: a cooking setup fueled by wood or charcoal, difficult to control)
7. Embrace
- Konjac steak
- Potato salad
On an Arita-yaki plate, konjac steak with soy glaze.
The burnt-soy smell rises, urging me—eat now, eat now.
Konjac's mild nature welcomes so many seasonings, so many encounters.
8. This Time's Reflection
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「みえぬとも ゆかりかしあひ かえるこえ」
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[Mi-e-nou to-mo you-ka-ri ka-chi-a-ï ka-é-rou ko-é]
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Mie, Nue, Taux, Mot, Eucalyptus, Iris, Cache, Ah, Hi, Quai, Air, Écho, Haie.
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L’azur en partage, dans l’interstice d’un parfum.
Note for safe enjoyment:
To fully enjoy the unique texture of konjac, deep scoring and thin slicing are key.
This not only helps the flavors soak in but also makes it easier and safer to chew for everyone, including children and seniors.
[Disclaimer]
Consult local dietary guidelines if you have specific allergies (such as fish-based dashi) or dietary restrictions regarding konjac.
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References
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References consulted for this article: 料 01, 料 02, 工 01
Audio data (sound): 2025_004_ja01
Audio data (reading): 2025_004_ja02 (in progress)
Microsoft Clipchamp: Brigitte, VOICEVOX: 四国めたん
End of Article
- I hope this brings small discoveries and nostalgia to your table.