Tonjiru Recipe: 3 Tips for Making Japanese Pork Soup
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: May 15, 2022 • 2 min read
Throughout Japan, this hearty soup is the ultimate fortifying cold-weather comfort food.
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What Is Tonjiru?
Tonjiru is a Japanese pork soup featuring tender, juicy pork cuts and hearty root vegetables like gobo (burdock root), konnyaku (konjac or edible corm), yam, satoimo (taro), daikon radish, and carrot in a miso soup broth. In Japanese, tonjiru translates to pork (ton) soup (jiro). Depending on the translation from the kanji, tonjiru may also be known as butajiru.
You can find all of the key ingredients for a great tonjiru broth in Asian grocery stores: Different kinds of miso with varying intensity levels, plus instant dashi powder, or kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) to make your own homemade dashi stock for added umami flavor.
3 Tips for Making Tonjiru
There are many ways to prepare tonjiru. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- 1. Use a diverse array of ingredients. The meat in tonjiru is typically thin slices of pork belly, but the vegetables vary by restaurant, household, and personal preference. Include additional ingredients like shimeji or shiitake mushrooms, slices of sweet potato, or aburaage (fried tofu pockets). Garnish with thin strips of aromatic yuzu peel or fresh green onions (also known as spring onions).
- 2. Cut the vegetables evenly. Cutting the vegetables into relatively equal pieces ensures an even cooking time. Certain ingredients, like burdock root, may require a bit more cooking time than others to become tender.
- 3. Start with a stir fry. The Japanese soup requires a flavorful foundation before any liquid additions. The rendered fat from the pork belly gives the soup a rich, full flavor, and the veggies a chance to soften slightly before soaking in the broth.
Japanese Tonjiru Recipe
makes
prep time
15 mintotal time
35 mincook time
20 minIngredients
- 1
Bring a small pot of water to boil. Peel the outer skin of the burdock root with the edge of a spoon or the back of a knife. Slice it into thin diagonal slices, and boil for 5 minutes. Strain and set aside.
- 2
In a large pot over medium heat, heat the sesame oil. Add the pork belly, and cook it until the edges begin to brown and the fat has rendered, about 7 minutes.
- 3
Add the carrot, daikon radish, burdock root, shiitake mushrooms, and white ends of scallions and stir to combine with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the dashi, and bring it to a boil.
- 4
Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for an additional 10–15 minutes or so, until the vegetables are tender but not mushy.
- 5
Remove the pan from the heat, and add in the red miso, passing it through a fine-mesh strainer to prevent clumps. Taste, and adjust saltiness as needed with a bit more miso or 1 teaspoon of soy sauce.
- 6
Ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish it with the green scallion and togarashi, if using.
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