Grandma-Style Chikuzen-ni with Chikuwa For New Years

• 400 grams Satoimo (taro root)
• 1 Burdock root
• 1 Carrot
• 150 grams Lotus root
• 4 Dried shiitake mushrooms
• 3 Chikuwa
• 600 ml Dashi stock
• 40 ml Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 tbsp Sake
• 1 Salt

1. Rehydrate the shiitake mushrooms in water.
2. Make a simple dashi stock.
3. Put a dashi pack in a container, and add 600 ml of boiling water.
4. Leave as-is while you prepare the vegetables.
5. Peel lotus root, cut to bite-size pieces, and soak.
6. Peel the carrot and chop into chunks.
7. Shave the peel off the burdock root.
8. Cut and soak.
9. Cut the chikuwa too.
10. You can substitute the chikuwa with sashimi-grade scallops for an even tastier dish.
11. Cut the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms.
12. Here, I just quartered them.
13. Now the dashi stock is ready.
14. I added konbu seaweed to this one.
15. Put the burdock root, carrot, lotus root, satoimo, and chikuwa in a pot in that order.
16. Pour the dashi stock from Step 9 in as well as the sake, and heat.
17. Add about 1/2 cup (100 ml) of the shiitake mushroom soaking liquid, too.
18. Add the sugar.
19. I used Lakanto artificial sweetener which I found when looking for my beet sugar.
20. Regular sugar is fine, too.
21. After a while, it will come to a boil and scum will rise to the surface.
22. I'm lazy, so I just absorb the scum with paper towels....
23. ...and swab it off.
24. Add the soy sauce.
25. From here it takes about 30 minutes or so.
26. Simmer over low heat until there's just a little liquid left in the pan.
27. Add a little salt at the end to bring the flavors together.
28. Stir up the bottom ingredients and it's ready.

satoimo, root, carrot, lotus root, shiitake mushrooms, chikuwa, stock, soy sauce, sugar, sake, salt

Taken from cookpad.com/us/recipes/172213-grandma-style-chikuzen-ni-with-chikuwa-for-new-years (may not work)