Yamagata Dashi Cold Summer Condiment Culture

Ingredients

• 8 pods Okra, trimmed, finely diced to 5–7 mm
• 100 g Naga-imo (mountain yam), peeled, finely diced to 5–7 mm
• 1 medium Japanese cucumber, finely diced to 5–7 mm
• 4 buds Myoga (Japanese ginger bud), finely julienned
• 8 leaves Perilla (shiso), finely julienned or chiffonade
• 1 pack (50 g) Natto (fermented soybeans), optional; added at final assembly
• For the seasoning
• 3 tbsp Light soy sauce (usukuchi)
• 2 tbsp Dashi stock, cold
• 1 tsp Mirin
• 1 tsp Fresh ginger, finely grated; optional
• To serve
• 600 g Cooked short-grain rice, freshly cooked and hot; or cold soba, or cold silken tofu

Method

1. 1
   Combine the light soy sauce, cold dashi stock, and mirin in a small bowl. Stir to integrate. Divide the seasoning liquid into two equal portions. To the first portion, add the diced okra and diced naga-imo. Toss to coat and leave to marinate for 30 minutes at refrigerator temperature. The vegetables are ready when they have absorbed colour from the soy and the naga-imo surface appears lightly glazed.
2. 2
   In a separate bowl, combine the diced cucumber, julienned myoga, and julienned shiso. Dress with the second portion of seasoning liquid. Toss gently. The mixture is ready when the myoga has softened fractionally and released its faint camphor scent without wilting — the cucumber must remain audibly crisp if pressed.
3. 3
   No more than 2–3 hours before service — and not the day before — combine the marinated okra and naga-imo with the cucumber, myoga, and shiso mixture. If using natto, fold it in at this point. Add grated ginger if desired. Stir to distribute evenly. This is where the dish lives or dies: the neba-neba mucilaginous quality of the okra and naga-imo must bind the mixture into a cohesive, lightly sticky mass, while the cucumber and myoga retain their individual crispness and freshness. If the vegetables are limp or the mixture smells of nothing but soy, the preparation window has been missed and the dish cannot be rescued.
4. 4
   Taste the assembled condiment. The soy-dashi seasoning should be perceptible but not dominant; the herbal brightness of shiso and the cooling bitterness of myoga must be individually distinguishable. Adjust with a few drops of soy only if the mixture tastes flat. Chill until service.
5. 5
   Serve the cold condiment spooned generously over hot freshly cooked rice, cold soba, or cold silken tofu. Instruct at the table that the condiment must be mixed thoroughly into the rice immediately — the mixing distributes the soy-dashi seasoning evenly, incorporates the sticky neba-neba elements into the rice grains, and creates the temperature contrast that is fundamental to the dish. The surface of the rice should appear lightly glossed and uniformly flecked with green from the shiso.