Turnips with Crumbly Chicken Sauce

Directions

1. If you have sourced whole turnips with leaves attached, begin by slicing off the leafy green tops, setting these aside to make other dishes (such as goma ae or ohitashi). Be sure, however, to leave a tuft of green attached to each turnip. Lightly scrub (rather than peel) the turnips and slice each in half through its tufted top.
2. Place the turnips in a bowl of water and using a toothpick or wooden skewer, remove any bits of dirt that may be lodged in the tufts.
3. Place the cleaned turnip halves in a shallow pot just large enough to hold the pieces in a single layer. Cover with dashi and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Season with the mirin and half of the white tamari. Cook, with a dropped lid (or parchment paper cut in a circle to fit your pot), for about 3 minutes or until the turnips are translucent and tender. Turn off the heat and cover the pot to keep the turnips warm as you make the sauce.
4. Place the ground chicken in a separate pot. Pour in the liquid from the pot with the simmered turnips. With a spatula stir the chicken to break up lumps. Do this BEFORE placing the pot on the stove. This seems counter-intuitive to most non-Japanese cooks but is key to achieving the right crumbly texture of this sauce.
5. Cook the chicken over low heat, stirring, for 2 or 3 minutes until it has turned white and crumbly. Stir in the ginger juice and remaining white tamari.
6. In a small bowl mix the kudzu starch with the water to make a smooth slurry. Slowly add this slurry to the pot with turnips and crumbly chicken; do this in a thin stream while whisking constantly. When thoroughly combined, raise the heat under your pot to medium-high for a minute after the sauce has begun to thicken. This is important to insure a glossy, pleasantly thick sauce. Undercooking will result in a watery sauce.
7. Transfer the simmered turnips to individual dishes or serve family style from a larger bowl. Pour the crumbly chicken sauce over the turnips. Optional garnishes are scallions, green leafy portion of turnips, blanched and chopped.