Grandma's Recipes 
福岡県 
* Photo is for reference 宮崎県 🌻 Summer
Japanese Grandma's Cold Miso Soup with Extra Tofu (Oi-Dofu Hiyajiru)
Hiyajiru is Miyazaki Prefecture's iconic cold miso soup, perfect for beating the summer heat. This grandmother's version features a special 'oi-dofu' (extra tofu) technique -- adding one more block of tofu just before serving for extra heartiness. The base is made by grinding roasted fish and miso in a mortar, torching it for smoky depth, then chilling.
🧂 Ingredients
servings
* In traditional Japanese grandma cooking, measurements are approximate — think of them as guidelines rather than exact amounts.
| Main Ingredients | |
| Dried horse mackerel (Aji) or dried barracuda (Kamasu) | 4-5 big ones, grill them nicely (About 250g of fish flesh) |
| Mugi miso (barley miso) | two heaping ladle-fulls, be generous |
| Toasted sesame seeds | until you can't see the bottom of the mortar, lots and lots |
| Dashi stock (made from dried sardines) | fill a big bowl to the brim, extra because of the ice |
| Cucumber | slice thin enough to see through, lots of them |
| Firm tofu (Momen-dofu) | crumble by hand, then add one more block at the end (2 blocks go in first; 1 block added just before serving as 'extra tofu') |
| Garnishes | |
| Shiso (perilla leaves) | loads, until you can smell them |
| Myoga (Japanese ginger buds) | loads, until you can smell them |
👩🍳 Instructions
- 1
Grill the dried fish until fragrant, then flake the flesh while still hot, carefully removing all bones.
- 2
In a large mortar (suribachi), grind the sesame seeds until the oil comes out, then add the barley miso and continue grinding to combine.
- 3
Spread the miso mixture thinly around the inside wall of the mortar and toast it over direct flame until slightly charred and fragrant.
💡 Charring over flame dramatically increases the smoky aroma.
- 4
Gradually add chilled dashi stock, dissolving the miso carefully to avoid lumps.
- 5
Add the flaked fish, salted and squeezed cucumber slices, and generously crumbled tofu (2 blocks).
- 6
Just before serving, crumble one more block of tofu in large pieces as 'oi-dofu' (extra tofu). This adds volume and makes it satisfying even on days with no appetite.
💡 The extra tofu is what makes this recipe special.
- 7
Chill well, then top with shredded shiso and sliced myoga just before serving. Pour over barley rice to eat.
📖 Memories & Stories
Whenever I visited during summer, grandma would always bring out this dish along with many others, saying 'eat this, eat lots of this.' A few years ago grandfather passed away, and grandma herself has been eating less due to her age. But I want to eat lots of this hiyajiru in front of her, say 'it's delicious,' and laugh together -- hoping it helps her stay well. I want to gradually return all the love grandma has given us, in whatever ways I can.
Source: Heard from family membersWritten from memory (Submitted by: 匿名希望)
🍽 Cultural Background
Hiyajiru is a representative regional dish of Miyazaki, with roots possibly tracing back to the Kamakura period. The key step of grinding miso in a mortar then charring it over flame creates the signature smoky flavor. Originally a farmer's quick meal to get nutrition between fieldwork, it's considered an essential part of Miyazaki summers.
