Tonjiru - Hearty Pork and Vegetables Miso Soup 豚汁

One of our favorite miso soups is tonjiru. My only warning is that this recipe is very addictive. Once you make it you'll find yourself craving it often. A big bowl of tonjiru with rice can be a simple lunch. The pork is the biggest surprise on the palate. A great partner for miso. Gobo (burdock root) brings an earthiness to the dish while I love the texture of konnyaku. Carrots and onions add sweetness and potatoes round out the dish. I can't eat it without sprinkling it with some shichimi togarashi (seven spice).

Consider yourself lucky if you can find thin slices of fatty pork (belly) that can be used for shabu-shabu. This is the ideal cut for this dish. However, I imagine most readers will not have this in their market. In that case be creative. I usually end up getting a piece of pork, cutting it into small chunks and letting it simmer on the stove in water until tender. Once the meat is soft then I add the rest of the ingredients to the pot.

As for konnyaku, I prefer the threads. Alternatively, if you can find a block, cut that into julienne pieces. Before adding the konnyaku to the miso soup pot either blanch it in lightly salted water or saute it in a pan for a few minutes. This will rid it of its funky smell.

If you can't find konnyaku or gobo don't worry, it's still worth making.

If you are comfortable making miso soup, then this will be a breeze. The ingredients are listed below. As for amounts, do as you would when assembling a bowl of soup, add as you go along.

When we make it I like to make a big batch and to enjoy for a few days.

dashi
onions
carrots
potatoes
gobo (burdock root)
konnyaku (threads preferred or cut up a block into julienne pieces)
pork (look for thin slices of pork belly like for shabu-shabu)

shichimi (seven spice) for seasoning