Pork Miso Soup (Tonjiru)

Tonjiru warms the body, so it is a common item found at winter festivals in Japan. The taste is different from regular miso soup, and varies from family to family and prefecture to prefecture. Many teisyoku restaurants serve this soup, so drop by when you're in Japan and try it out!

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 30minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb sliced pork, cut into bite sizes
• 1/3 gobou (burdock), skin removed and sliced (optional)
• 1/2 lb chopped daikon
• 1/4 lb chopped carrots
• 1 green onion, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 5 satoimo (baby yam), skin removed and sliced (or potato)

Spices

• 3 tbsp miso paste
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp hondashi
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
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Preparation

1. Put daikon, carrot and baby yam in 4 cups of water in a pot and boil
2. After boiling, skim the water to remove the waste
3. Add pork and boil for 2 minutes over medium heat, then skim the broth
4. Add gobou, sake, and soy sauce and boil for 3 minutes over medium heat, and skim again
5. Dissolve the hondashi and miso and boil for 3 minutes on medium
6. Add sesame oil and serve