Buri daikon (Simmered yellowtail and Japanese radish)

Ingredients (serves 4): 4 fillets of yellowtail (buri) The bony parts of yellowtail (if available) 4 tbsps sake 4 tbsps mirin 4 tbsps soy sauce 2.5 cups (17 floz/500ml) water 1 Japanese radish (daikon) 1 piece of ginger root (shoga) - cut into 8mm (5/16 inch) pieces. Peeling unnecessary. 3 cups (20.3 floz/600ml) rice grain water (kome-no-togijiru) *"Togijiru" is the whitish water left over after washing rice. When you wash rice, set the "togijiru" liquid aside to use later for boiling the Japanese radish. The liquid contains rice grains and makes the vegetable clear colored and less bitter. If it is not available, prepare 3 cups of water. Cooking time: 30 minutes If time permits, leave the dish to stand for 6-12 hours before serving in order to increase the taste of the simmered radish.
Cooking Directions: 1. Cut the Japanese radish into 5cm (2 inches) thick pieces, peel, and cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) thick half-moon-shaped pieces or roughly halved pieces.
2. Prepare the Japanese radish by placing it in a pot, adding the rice grain water and boiling for about 10 minutes until the color of radish turns white or semi-transparent.
3. Cut the yellowtail fillet into two or three pieces.
4. Wash any bony parts in cold water to remove red flesh.
5. Soak the fish in boiling water until its color turns white, and then drain.
6. Rinse and clean the bony parts by removing the scales.
7. In a thick bottomed pot, pour over 2.5 cups (17 floz/500 ml) of water (or Japanese soup stock, if available), and sake, add the boiled Japanese radish and ginger root before heating. When the dish comes to the boil, add the bony parts of the fish if available and simmer until the radish softens. To test, try to penetrate the radish with a chopstick.
8. Add the yellowtail fillets and mirin and simmer for a further three minutes. 9. Add the soy sauce and continue to simmer for three minutes more before removing from the heat. Cover and let cool until you can physically touch the pot. (In cooling, the dish increases in taste so, if time permits, overnight cooling is recommended) 10. Heat just prior to serving.
Tips: In Japan, yellowtail is a popular seafood during the winter yet its bony parts don't look good to those not used to them. These parts do however, add flavor to a dish in similar form to the bouillabaisse used in Western cuisine. As the Japanese enjoy yellowtail in "teriyaki"(basting) , sashimi, and other forms, this dish of "Buri daikon" is perhaps best suited to those who want to savor and use all parts of the fish - from top to tail and all parts in between.
Japanese Liquid Measures: 1 cup = 200ml = 6.76 fl oz 1 tablespoon = 15ml = 0.5 fl oz 1 teaspoon = 5ml = 0.16 fl oz