# Senba jiru (Soup of salted mackerel and daikon radish) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Senba jiru (Soup of salted mackerel and daikon radish)

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Osaka City

## Main Ingredients Used
Salted mackerel, daikon radish

## History, Origin, and Related Events
A dish made with salted mackerel scraps and daikon radish, "Senba jiru" has been a beloved home-cooked meal in the Osaka district of Senba for a long time. It offers a refined taste with the rich flavor of mackerel broth and is also known as "Senba-ni." This dish embodies Osaka's frugal approach to using every part of the fish, making it a typical example of "end-of-the-line cooking."Senba was a bustling wholesale district in Osaka, serving as the commercial hub from the Meiji era to the Taisho era. During that time, the diet of the households, which employed many apprentices, consisted of simple meals such as chazuke (boiled rice soaked with tea) and pickles in the morning and evening, and a simple soup with one dish for lunch. Only twice a month, dishes like salted mackerel were served. After extracting the flesh from the fish, the head, bones, and scraps were used to make broth, and this, combined with simmered daikon radish, became Senba jiru. This economical and quickly prepared dish became highly valued in busy merchant households and eventually became a staple in daily meals due to its efficiency.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Still enjoyed as a daily meal at home and served in eateries throughout the city, Senba jiru remains a popular dish. It is particularly favored during the autumn when mackerel is in season and the winter when there's a craving for warm soups.

## How to Eat
Made by simmering mackerel bones and daikon radish in dashi (=Japanese soup stock) of konbu seaweed, and seasoned with salt, Senba jiru is garnished with green onions. Originally utilizing salted mackerel scraps, the dish was appreciated for the natural flavors of the salt and dashi (=Japanese soup stock). In recent years, it's common to substitute fresh mackerel fillets and add ingredients like vinegar or soy sauce.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)Passed down through generations, Senba jiru is not only a household staple but also a dish preserved and offered in various restaurants and traditional Japanese inns across the city.

## Ingredients
- Mackerel: 1 (300g)
- Daikon Radish: 10cm (440g)
- Green Onions: 1 (25g)
- Leeks: 6cm (20g)
- Ginger (grated): 1 piece (70g)
- Kombu(=kelp): 5cm (10g)
- Water: 1 L
- [Seasonings A] Sake: 2 tbsp.
- [Seasonings A] Light soy sauce: 1 tbsp.
- [Seasonings A] Salt: 1 tsp.
- Yuzu Peel: 4g

## Recipe
1. 1. Rinse the mackerel thoroughly with water, cut it into suitable sizes, generously salt it, and let it sit for about 1 hour.
2. 2. Wash off the salt from the mackerel and cut it into 2cm pieces.
3. 3. Place the mackerel head, bones, and fillets in a bowl, pour hot water over them, then rinse them under cold water and drain excess moisture.
4. 4. Peel the daikon radish, cut it into tanzaku-cut about 5cm in length, and briefly boil them.
5. 5. Cut the leeks and green onions into julienne strips along the fibers, soak them in water to turn them into white leeks.
6. 6. In a pot, combine the specified amount of water, kombu(=kelp), and the mackerel remains from step 3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, remove any scum, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain using a paper towel, add the daikon radish, mackerel fillets, and mid-bones. Bring it to a gentle boil, check the seasoning, and adjust the flavor with [Seasonings A].
7. 7. In individual bowls, arrange daikon radish, mackerel fillets, and mid-bones. Pour the broth over them, add a few drops of grated ginger juice, and garnish with white leeks and yuzu peel on top before serving.

## Provider Information
provider : "A Taste of Japan, A Taste of Naniwa" (Osaka Prefecture Food Lifestyle Improvement Liaison Council)

![Image](Not found)