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Indulge in the classic sour soup infused with the unique flavors of Tosakanori and Hijiki seaweed! The combination of vegetables, ground meat, vinegar, creates a perfect harmony of flavors that will tantalize your taste buds.

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Ingredients (for 2-3 people):

• Tosakanori seaweed (before desalting/rehydrating): 50g/15g
• Young hijiki seaweed (before desalting/rehydrating): 60g/6g
• Leek: 40g
• Ginger: 1/2 teaspoon
• Ground chicken breast: 120g
• Shimeji mushrooms: 1/2 pack
• Bamboo shoots (canned): 50g
• Silken tofu: 175g
• Salt: a pinch
• Sesame oil: 1 1/2 tablespoons
• Sake: 2 tablespoons
• Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
• Water: 400ml
• Cornstarch slurry (2:1 ratio): 2 teaspoons cornstarch to 20ml water

How to:

1. Rinse the young hijiki a couple of times, then soak in water for about 5 minutes to desalt it after rinsing off the salt. For Dried Hijiki, soak it in water for 6 minutes.

2. Salted Tosakanori seaweed should be rinsed twice with water to remove salt. After that, soaked in water for about 3 minutes to remove the excess salt. For Dried Tosakanori seaweed, soak it in water for 4 minutes to rehydrate.※ When soaking in saltwater, make sure to thoroughly rinse off any debris or foreign objects that may have gotten inside. If there are any discolored parts, it's best to remove them.

3. Wash and diagonally slice the leek. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Tear shimeji mushrooms by hand, removing the base. Slice bamboo shoots into thin strips.
4. Heat sesame oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the leek and ginger, and sauté until fragrant.Increase to high heat and add ground chicken. Break it up with a spatula and add a pinch of salt for seasoning.
5. Add shimeji mushrooms and stir-fry until well coated in oil. Then add bamboo shoots.
6. Pour in sake and let the alcohol evaporate, then add soy sauce and water.
7.  Bring to a boil, then add tofu cut into bite-sized pieces. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until tofu is heated through.
8. Stir in the cornstarch to thicken the soup.
9. Once the soup is thick enough, add vinegar and mix well. Adjust seasoning with chicken broth powder if needed.
10. Serve hot soup topped with the prepared seaweed. For a different texture, you can add the Tosakanori seaweed to the soup in step 8 and lightly heat it. Drizzle with sesame oil or chili oil and sprinkle with black pepper to taste.