Japanese Turnips with Soboro Ankake Sauce

1. Gather all the ingredients.

To Prepare the Turnips

1. Cut off the leafy green tops from 8 Japanese turnips (kabu). For presentation, I left ½ inch (1.3 cm) of the stems attached to the turnips. Use the leafy tops to make a side dish (you can pickle them) or add to miso soup.
2. Rinse the turnips well, especially the stems.
3. Slice a thin sliver off the bottom of the turnips so they will stand upright. Then, remove the turnip’s skin, peeling from the bottom to the top.
4. The turnips should look like this.

To Cook the Turnips

1. In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
2. Add the turnips, cover with the lid and bring it to a boil again. Simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Then, add 1 Tbsp sugar.
3. Add ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and cover with lid. Continue to simmer on medium-low heat until tender, about 20 minutes.

To Make the Soboro

1. In the meantime, make the soboro. To a large frying pan, add 2 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp sugar, and 1½ Tbsp soy sauce. Combine the sauce well.
2. Add 6 oz ground chicken and start cooking on medium heat.
3. Using a pair of long cooking chopsticks or wooden spatula, break the ground chicken into small pieces. Once the chicken is no longer pink and the sauce has reduced, turn off the heat and set aside.

To Assemble

1. When a wooden skewer goes into the turnip smoothly, the turnips are tender and ready.
2. Add the seasoned ground chicken into the broth with the turnips.
3. Mix well and taste the broth. Adjust the taste with ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt if necessary.
4. Now, make a slurry. In a small bowl, add 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch and 2 Tbsp water and whisk well to combine.
5. Reduce the heat of the broth and gradually add the slurry to it. Mix well to combine until thickened. If the sauce is too thick, add more water. If it‘s too watery, let the liquid evaporate a bit more (or you can make more slurry and add it to the broth).
6. Serve the turnips, broth, and ground chicken on a plate/bowl.