While a classic bowl of miso soup is quite delicious, there’s a lot more than just one type of miso soup. For those of you looking to turn that bowl of soup into a meal of it’s own, tonjiru is just what you need!
Tonjiru, also called butajiru or “pork soup”, is a classic winter stew that I love making whenever the weather gets cold. Soups always manage to keep me feeling warm even in cold, windy weather, so they’re a great comfort food for me! When I’m in the mood for some miso soup but want a heartier meal, tonjiru really hits the spot. And when its really cold, I tend to cook and serve it in clay pots, which keeps it that much warmer!
Traditional tonjiru is cooked with taro, burdock root and sometimes konnyaku, but to keep it easy I use vegetables more accessible to me. This soup is very versatile and goes great with many winter veggies, so it’s a great way to use up whatever you’ve got in the fridge! Just throw them together with a generous spoonful of miso and you’ve a great dish to combat the cold weather! Be sure to top it off with a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi and you’ll definitely been feeling the heat!
Recipe – Pork Miso Soup – Tonjiru:
– First off prep your veggies. Remove the skin off the potato and cut into large chunks. Cut the turnip into large chunks, and cut the carrot into long slices.
– Prep your pork by cutting each pork chop into bite size pieces. Mince your garlic and leave your ginger as one large piece. (We’ll take it out of the soup later on so it doesn’t need to be grated!)
– Add the sesame oil to a medium sized over medium high heat. Once hot add the pork, ginger and garlic and saute until the edges of the pork start to brown.
– Add your veggies, dashi and sake and bring to a simmer. If any skum appears on the top like below, use a spoon to scoop it out. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are just turning tender.
– Using a ladle scoop about a small amount of broth from the pot and place in a small bowl. Add the miso to the bowl and stir until the miso has dissolved. Add the miso to the pot and turn the heat down to medium low. Let simmer for five more minutes, then it’s ready to serve! Be sure to scoop out the knob of ginger before serving!
– When ready to serve ladle into individual bowls and top with sliced green onion and shichimi togarashi. This soup tastes great the next day too, so it’s great to make a big pot of it and enjoy for days!
Discuss and Share