Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinate with the soy sauce and sake. Remove the strings from the snow peas and quickly blanch them in salted water.

Cut the carrot into decorative plum blossom shapes (see note 9). Place in a pot with the water, dashi, sugar, and salt, bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 10–15 minutes until a skewer goes through easily. Let cool in the cooking liquid.

Cut the konnyaku into decorative 'tazuna' (see note 10), parboil to remove bitterness and odor.

Rinse the bamboo shoot, cut into bite-sized pieces, and boil briefly to remove any bitterness or sourness.

Peel the taro potatoes into hexagonal shapes (see note 11), rub with salt, rinse, then place in a pot with water and boil. Rinse again to remove any sliminess.

Scrape the skin off the burdock root and cut into small chunks. Peel the lotus root and cut into decorative 'hana renkon' (see note 13), then soak in lightly acidulated water or plain water, changing the water twice.

Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and cut shallow cross or asterisk-shaped slits on top.

(This is the asterisk-shaped cut.)

For the plum blossom carrot: Cut 8mm thick slices, use a flower-shaped cutter, then make shallow cuts from the petal grooves toward the center. From the middle of each petal, cut diagonally toward the groove to shape the petals.

For the tazuna konnyaku: Cut the konnyaku into 5mm thick strips, make a 1.5–2cm slit in the center, and thread one end through the slit to form a twist.

For the hexagonal taro: Cut off both ends, then peel the skin to make a hexagon. Start by peeling parallel sides, then shape the rest into a mountain shape.

If you keep the heights even, the finished dish will look beautiful.

For the hana renkon: Peel the lotus root, cut into 5mm slices, then make V-shaped cuts between the holes and round off any sharp edges.

Heat oil (not listed in ingredients) in a large pot or skillet. Sauté the chicken until the color changes, then add the burdock root and bamboo shoot and continue to sauté. Remove from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot, add the lotus root, taro, konnyaku, and shiitake mushrooms. Sauté gently without breaking them, then return the chicken mixture. Add enough water and dashi to cover the ingredients.

Once it comes to a boil, add the sugar, sake, soy sauce, mirin, and salt. Simmer. Be careful not to cook too long on low heat, as the ingredients may fall apart.

When the liquid has reduced to your liking, it’s done. Let it cool to allow the flavors to soak in. Garnish with the carrot from step 2 and snow peas cut on a diagonal.