Tonjiru Recipe (Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup)

Everyone, it's Yudo from sudachirecipes.com and today I'm going to show you how to make a classic Japanese soup called Tonjiru. This dish is made with pork and a variety of vegetables served in a miso flavoured dashi broth. It's very common in Japanese home cooking. This recipe takes about 45 minutes and makes a large serving for about 6 to 8 people. Let's get started. First, we're going to cut the vegetables and this recipe uses a lot. I'm starting with this Japanese burdock root we call gobo. The first step is to scrape off the thin skin with the back of a knife like this. This skin is very thin so you have to be careful not to take off too much of the inside. That's why I don't use a peeler for this. Once that's done, wash it again and then cut it into diagonal slices like this. I know that gobo is not a common cooking ingredient outside of Japan so it's definitely optional but it's very nutritious and if you can find it, I highly recommend it. It brings a unique flavour to the dish. Once it's all cut, soak it in a bowl of water to stop it from becoming discoloured. Next, we have one carrot that I've already peeled. Just cut off the ends and get rid of those. Then cut it down the middle lengthwise and roughly chop each half like this. They don't need to be neat, just try and make them all similar in size so that they cook evenly. To be honest, you don't need to use every ingredient I mention in this video. You can use more or less depending on your preference. Every home makes tonjiru differently. Next, I have a couple of pieces of twice fried tofu called aburaage. I just cut it into thin slices. This is one of my favourite ingredients because it has a sweet taste and a fluffy texture. It also absorbs the miso flavour very well. You often see this in miso soup too. Next is daikon radish. I'm using about a quarter of a large daikon and I've already peeled it. Cut into rounds then cut each round into quarters. Daikon is another typical Japanese ingredient that might be difficult to find. But it's a great ingredient for absorbing flavours. We often use it in hot pots because it soaks up the flavour of the broth. Next, I have 50g of a large green onion we call negi. I just cut diagonal slices like this. You could also use a leek or scallions if you like. I'm using the white part to put in the soup because it needs to be cooked longer. Then I'll finely chop the green part and use it for garnish at the end. Next, I have 4 shiitake mushrooms. I cut off the stems and then slice the tops like this. Shiitake mushrooms are packed with umami and add depth to the broth. It's also fine to use dry shiitake mushrooms that have been rehydrated if you can't find them fresh. Also cut up the stems and put them in. But it's optional too. And of course you can use mushrooms of your choice as well. Next, I'm also using konnyaku in my recipe. This one is ready to use but you might need to wash your konnyaku in boiling water before use. So be sure to check the packaging. I'm just using a spoon to break it up. Konnyaku has a great firm and jelly-like texture. Different to any other ingredient in the soup. It also makes it more filling. Finally, we're going to prepare the pork. Here I have a 200g block of pork belly. I've chosen pork belly because I want the fat to add flavour to the soup. I'm just cutting it into slices like this. I try not to cut it too thin otherwise it falls apart and disappears into the soup. I'd say these slices are about 2mm thick. And you'll be able to enjoy tender meaty pieces of pork belly in your soup. Okay, all our ingredients are cut and prepared. So let's start cooking. Take a large pot and heat on medium. Add half a tablespoon of unsalted butter. And once it's melted, add your pork. Not many people use butter in this dish but it's a secret ingredient for richer soup. We start by sealing the pork because we want to avoid making the fat rubbery. Frying the pork in butter improves both the taste and the texture. Once the surfaces are sealed, add your gobo and stir-fry them together for about a minute. Next, add your chopped ingredients except the green onion. Mix them around and then add 1.5 litres of dashi stock. I'm using a homemade dashi stock made with dried kelp, bonito flakes and dried sardines. If you want to learn how to make your own dashi stock at home, check out my other video. I'll put the link up for you. Now I'm adding 3 tablespoons of miso paste. Miso paste doesn't dissolve well by itself so we need to break it up as small as we can so that it is evenly distributed throughout the soup. To do this, I use this mesh spoon and a small whisk and allow a small amount of the dashi to seep in. Whisking the miso with a small amount of the liquid first helps break it up evenly. If you don't have a mesh spoon like this, you could use a ladle or even whisk up some miso and dashi separately in a small bowl before adding it to the rest of the broth. I'm using an Arase miso paste that is yellow in colour. If you want to learn more about different kinds of miso paste, you should check out my blog. I'll put the link in the description for you. You might be worried about adding miso too early but don't worry. I'll be adding the miso in two parts. This first part is to flavour the ingredients. We'll add more at the end to flavour the soup itself. Mix everything together and allow the tonjiru to simmer for 15 minutes. Try not to let it boil too much as this will weaken the taste of miso. Gently bubbling is okay. But then again, I'll be adding another part of miso at the end. You might find a foam forms at the top of the soup. This is from the pork. Make sure to scoop it off otherwise your tonjiru will become cloudy. After 15 minutes have passed, add your green onion and simmer for another 10 minutes. Okay, 10 minutes have passed. Now I'm going to add 1 teaspoon of mirin and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce. I'm adding them now because it's just a small amount. I didn't want them to lose their flavour during the simmering process. Let it bubble for about a minute to cook off the alcohol in the mirin and then turn off the heat. Now it's time to add the second helping of miso paste. I'm going to add 4 tablespoons, two at a time so that there aren't lumps of miso in my soup. You can taste test as you add it to make sure the flavour is strong enough for you. Actually, the taste test is important here as different kinds of miso have different strength and saltiness. So please feel free to adjust to your own taste. As I mentioned before, we add miso paste at two different times. The first addition was for the ingredients to absorb the miso flavour. But the truth is miso paste tends to lose its flavour the longer it's cooked. That's why I'm adding more now. This will give the tonjiru a bold miso flavour. Mix it in the same way as before, breaking up and introducing it to the broth gradually so that the paste is evenly distributed throughout the soup. Our final touch is a drizzle of sesame oil and it's ready to serve. I like to add a bit of chopped spring onion for some colour and some Japanese chilli called shichimi for a spicy kick. And there you have it, delicious homemade Japanese tonjiru. Thanks so much for watching. If you enjoyed this video, feel free to check out my other recipes and support my channel by subscribing. I hope to see you next time. Thanks again.