Clam steamboat with dashi jelly, smoked chicken oysters, seafood and vegetables

Preparation method

1. For the dashi jelly, soak the stick of agar agar in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes to soften. (If using powdered agar agar, this can be added straight to the pan at the relevant stage without soaking.)

2. Meanwhile, cook the somen noodles in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes, or until al dente, then drain and set aside.

3. Place the konbu dried kelp seaweed into a large saucepan and cover with the 400ml/14fl oz of cold water. Heat over a medium heat and remove the seaweed just before the water reaches boiling point.

4. Add the katsuobushi flakes to the nearly boiling water. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.

5. Strain and reserve the liquid. Return the liquid to the pan.

6. Drain the soaked agar agar and add it to the reserved liquid. If using powdered agar agar, add this directly to the reserved liquid now. Heat the mixture over a low heat, stirring well, until the mixture has thickened, then strain the pan contents again, reserving the strained jelly mixture.

7. Place the ginger, red ginger and somen noodles into a 15cm x 15cm/6in x 6in container. Season the strained jelly mixture with soy sauce and pour the into the container. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to one hour, until set.

8. For the clam stock, bring the 1 litre/1¾ pints of cold water and rice wine to the boil in a medium, non-reactive saucepan. Reduce the heat until the liquid is simmering, then add the clams and cook until they open (discard any clams that do not open fully during cooking).

9. Strain, discarding the cooked clams, but reserving the cooking liquid. The clams are just used to flavour the stock. Season the stock, to taste, with a little salt and soy sauce. Set aside until needed.

10. To smoke the chicken oysters, line a large wok or saucepan with a double layer of aluminium foil. (CAUTION: tea-smoking generates a lot of smoke. Use a pan with a tight-fitting lid and conduct the process outside if possible; otherwise, use a well-ventilated room. Do not leave unattended.)

11. Add the rice, sugars and tea to the wok, cover, and heat over a low heat until they start to smoke.

12. Place the chicken oysters into a bamboo steaming basket, add the basket to the pan, cover again and smoke for 5-10 minutes, or until the chicken meat is cooked through. Set aside until needed.

13. For the steamboat contents, bring the clam stock to a gentle simmer. Separate any mushrooms whose roots are attached to each other, then add them to the clam stock and poach for one minute.

14. Add the sliced radishes, mizuna leaves and ginko nuts and continue to poach for a further minute.

15. Add the prawns and continue to poach until they turn pink and opaque. Remove everything once cooked through, and set aside. Keep the stock in the pan.

16. For the crunchy tofu skin, heat the oil in a deep-sided, heavy-based pan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Alternatively, heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer at 180C.

17. Tear the tofu skin into small pieces. Gently lower the tofu into the hot oil and fry until it curls up - this will happen immediately.

18. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

19. To serve, bring the clam stock to the boil. Divide the stock equally between four clay pots or bowls. Slice the set jelly into four squares. Add one to each bowl of clam stock. Divide the steam boat contents equally among the four bowls. Garnish each bowl with some of the crunchy tofu skin.

Less than 30 mins preparation time

1 to 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4