Tonjiru (Japanese Pork and Root Vegetable Miso Soup)

• 150 g thinly sliced pork belly (buta bara), cut into 3 cm pieces
• 100 g daikon radish, peeled and cut into 5 mm quarter-moons
• 50 g carrot, unpeeled, cut into 5 mm quarter- or half-moons
• 80 g gobo (burdock root), sliced 5 mm on the diagonal and rinsed
• 50 g konnyaku (konjac block), cut 5 mm thick
• ¼ naganegi (Japanese long green onion), thinly sliced, to serve
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 600 ml dashi (kombu and bonito stock)
• 3 tbsp miso (awase or Shinshu-style)
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp usukuchi (light-coloured) soy sauce
• ½ tsp grated ginger
• a pinch of ichimi togarashi (Japanese chilli powder), to serve (optional)

Method

The cook speaks Japanese; every step is written here in English. Tap a time to watch that step in the video. For subtitles, tap CC in the video, then Settings › Subtitles › Auto-translate › English.

1. Peel the daikon and cut it into 5 mm quarter-moons; cut the unpeeled carrot the same thickness. Slice the burdock 5 mm thick on the diagonal and rinse it briefly. Cut the konnyaku 5 mm thick, slice the long onion and cut the pork into 3 cm pieces. 1:48
2. Put the daikon, carrot, burdock and konnyaku in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, drain: the roots are only half cooked, and the konnyaku loses its smell. 5:18
3. Heat 1 tsp sesame oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat and fry the pork until it changes colour and separates. Add the parboiled vegetables and toss until coated in the pork fat. 8:05
4. Pour in 600 ml dashi and bring to the boil. Skim off the scum (leave some of the fat), turn the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes until a skewer slides into the burdock. Add a splash of water if it reduces. 9:48
5. Dissolve 3 tbsp miso in a little of the hot broth, stir it in with 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp light soy sauce and ½ tsp grated ginger, and heat just briefly so the miso keeps its aroma. Taste and add a little more miso if needed. 11:36
6. Ladle into bowls and top with the sliced long onion and a sprinkle of ichimi chilli. 12:55

Tip. Serves 2–3. In Japan it is eaten with rice and pickles; with plenty of vegetables it also makes a light meal on its own. Lean pork leg slices make it lighter. Add mushrooms or napa cabbage in season. Keeps 2 days in the fridge.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.