Beef and Daikon Soup

300 gm lean beef, thinly sliced and cut into manageable pieces

1 T grated ginger
(1-2 cloves minced garlic)

2 T canola or other healthy oil you like

1½ liter of water

½ stick konbu dashi (4gm) + 3 bouillon cubes OR 5 bouillon cubes

10cm daikon radish – sliced into thin rectangles
(2 thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms)

1 package harusame (40 gm, aka cellophane noodles) – soak in boiling water until tender, drain, and cut into 5cm lengths

2 T sake

1-1½ T usukuchi soy sauce
1½-2 t sesame oil

1 long onion – thinly sliced on a diagonal slant

1. Pour oil in a heavy-bottomed, deep pan. When oil is heated, sauté ginger, (garlic), and meat.
2. When the meat turns light in color, add water, dashi powder, and bouillon.
3. Add daikon (and shiitake mushrooms), and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer.
4. Skim off any scum that comes to the surface and throw it away.
5. When daikon is soft, add harusame.
6. Add sake, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Taste the soup, and add more sake and/or soy sauce as you like.
7. Put a little chopped long onion in the each bowl, and then ladle in the soup.

This soup, as well as Kenjin-Jiru, keeps well in the refrigerator, and makes for very easy lunches during the cold winter months.