Ingredients
400 g (about 14 oz) sea eel, half a burdock root, 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, 1/4 carrot, 1/4 celery stalk, 5 cm (about 2 inches) udo (Japanese mountain asparagus), 1 bunch of mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley).
Seasonings
5 chicken bones, 5 L water, 2 pieces of kelp (cut into melon shapes), black pepper to taste, 2 teaspoons light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sake or rice wine, a dash of vinegar.
Instructions
1. Blanch the chicken bones until they turn white, then rinse off excess fat and blood. Place the chicken bones, kombu (dried kelp), and water in a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a low simmer. Skim off any foam and impurities to remove any off-flavors. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer and cook until it reduces by half (about half the water has evaporated). Strain through a flannel or fine-muslin cloth.
2. Cut the carrot into 3 cm (about 1.2-inch) sections, then halve lengthwise. Place cut-side down, shave into thin slices, stack, and cut into fine shreds. Scrub the burdock root clean with a brown brush, make a lengthwise cut, then hold it on the cutting board and shave it like sharpening a pencil, rotating the root as you go. Rinse in vinegar water to remove bitterness, changing the water several times. Drain well. Cut the conger eel into slices, keeping the skin and bones, then deep-fry in oil at 170°C–175°C (about 340°F–350°F) until the surface changes color. Shave bamboo into leaf-shaped strips. Remove the tough stem from fresh shiitake mushrooms and slice thinly. Cut the Japanese angelica (udo) into 3 cm (1.2-inch) sections, peel thickly, then shave into ribbon-like thin slices. Stack and cut into fine shreds, then rinse in vinegar water. Remove the strings from celery, cut into 3 cm (1.2-inch) sections, and shred lengthwise along the fibers.
3. Heat the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then add the drained assorted vegetables and cook briefly to remove any off-flavors. Season with salt and light soy sauce, then add the sea eel fillets. Adjust the seasoning with sake, sprinkle in the trefoil stems, and finish by grinding black pepper from a pepper mill over the top before serving.