A cooking lesson from my chef neigbor

dish#1:
simmer konnyaku in dashi for about 10 min. soak hijiki seaweed for 20 minutes, then add to simmering konnyaku. continue simmering while adding some seasonings. add a dash of bonito flavored soy sauce (home made soy sauce reduction) and a dash of mirin, continue simmering. add shitake mushrooms (cut off the bottom of the stems). as the dish cooks add more seasoning to taste. do not add all of the seasoning at once as the ingredients will soak up too much flavor too fast. add gradually and taste often.
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