Simmered dish as nimono

Hiryuzu is the Kyoto name for a dish known in the Kanto region around Tokyo as ganmodoki. Tofu is drained of its water content, then mixed with a selection of vegetables such as small yams, carrots and kikurage (Jew’s ear) mushrooms. The whole mixture is then formed into dumplings and fried. The name hiryuzu is actually said to originate fromfilhos (sweet dumplings commonly served at Christmas in Portugal) because they resemble filhos in shape. The hiryuzu at Tsukiji Tamura are made with ginkgo nuts and lily bulbs, to create a combination of sweetness, bitterness and a texture that plays across the tongue. The flavour from the carrots and burdock add a superb element to the taste. Combined with splendid alfonsino fish, which is a brilliant red-coloured fish with thick, fat-rich flesh when it is in season, the dish becomes quite substantial. The best splendid alfonsino fish is said to be caught in the spring off the coast of Choshi in Chiba prefecture. The fish is cooked in a sweet, rich, savoury sauce of dashi and soy sauce.