-
1
Peel the satoimo. Rub each tuber with salt and rinse under cold water to reduce surface sliminess, or blanch briefly in boiling water and peel while warm. Cut any larger pieces to roughly equal size so all cook evenly. Work close to cooking time — pre-peeled taro discolours and loses its characteristic texture. The exterior should feel clean and slightly tacky, not slimy.
-
2
Bring the dashi or water to a simmer in a heavy pot. Add soy sauce and mirin. Introduce the satoimo and konjac. Maintain a steady, gentle simmer — not a rolling boil, which clouds the broth and breaks the taro prematurely.
-
3
After 45 minutes of simmering, add the beef. The broth should remain a clear, amber-brown. Skim any foam or fat that rises. Add the negi in the final 10 minutes of cooking.
-
4
Continue simmering for a total of 60 to 90 minutes from the point the taro entered the pot. This is where the dish lives or dies: the satoimo must be completely, yielding-soft — press a piece against the side of the pot with a spoon and it should offer no resistance and begin to collapse at its edges, having absorbed the broth deeply. Half-cooked taro carries an unpleasant, mealy texture that cannot be corrected at the table.
-
5
Taste the broth and adjust salt. Ladle into bowls ensuring each portion receives taro, konjac, beef, and negi. If broth remains after serving, it is traditional to cook udon or soba noodles directly in the pot as a shime finish.