How to Cook Delicious Tonjiru Soup with Authentic Japanese Recipe

How to prepare Tonjiru Soup

• 1

  Prepare the ingredients

  Pork belly slices that you bought should be cut into small pieces about 3 cm.

  Tip:

  • You should place it in the freezer for about 15 minutes before cutting so that when slicing the meat, it will be beautiful and easier.
  • If you buy pork belly that is not sliced, you should keep it in the freezer for about 20 – 25 minutes to easily slice the pork belly, making it more even and visually appealing! However, do not leave it in the freezer too long because if left too long, the moisture in the pork will freeze, making it very hard and impossible to cut by hand.

  Next, you use a knife to scrape the skin off the burdock root. Then prepare a basin of water, cutting and rotating the burdock root like sharpening a pencil, and soak the cut burdock root in the water. After finishing cutting, place the burdock root in a basket, rinse it under cold running water to clean off dirt, prepare a bowl of clean water, and soak the washed burdock root to prevent it from turning black.

  Taro bought should be peeled, then cut into thin slices about 0.5cm thick and soaked in a bowl of cold water.

  Onion should be peeled and washed, then cut into thin long strips about 0.5cm wide vertically.

  If the radish is large, divide it into 4 parts and slice them into thin slices about 0.3cm thick; if the radish is smaller, just cut it in half and slice it thinly into half-moon shapes.

  Carrots bought should be peeled, washed, then cut in half lengthwise and sliced into thin pieces 0.3cm thick, similar to the radish.

  Next, use a knife to cut the tofu into thin rectangular strips about 2cm long, then sprinkle salt on and rub it evenly with your hands, and marinate for 5 minutes.

  Boil a small pot of water, when it boils, add the tofu and cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove it to a basket, rinse with water, and set aside.

  Green onion should be washed, then cut diagonally on one stalk for soup, and the remaining stalk should be sliced into thin rounds to use as a garnish when serving.

  Then use a paper towel to absorb all the oil on the fried tofu, then cut it in half lengthwise, and next slice the fried tofu into thin strips.

  Ginger should be peeled, washed, then placed into a grater to grate finely, or you can also mince it if you don’t have a grater.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Stir-fry the ingredients

  Place a pot on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and heat over medium heat until the oil is hot, then add the diced pork and stir-fry until the meat is evenly cooked and no longer pink.

  Next, add the onion and stir well, then gradually add the radish and carrot to stir-fry together.

  When the ingredients are evenly coated with a layer of oil, continue to add the cow’s tail root and taro to stir-fry.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Cook Tonjiru Soup

  Add tofu, fried tofu, diagonally cut green onion, and dashi broth into the pot with the sautéed ingredients so that the broth covers all the ingredients. If the broth doesn’t cover all the ingredients, you should add more broth or water to ensure that the liquid covers everything.

  Next, use a ladle to stir the ingredients evenly, then cover and cook until the water boils, then reduce the heat, open the lid, and start skimming off all the foam and fat from the soup pot.

  After skimming off the foam and fat, continue to cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 – 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. You can use a skewer to test the vegetables; if the skewer goes through all the ingredients, turn off the heat.

  Tip: If you are not using it immediately or want to store it for later, you should let the soup cool completely and then place it in the refrigerator to keep for about 5 days.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Completion

  You continue to simmer the soup on low heat, then add a strainer into the pot and mix in 5 tablespoons of miso, stirring well in the strainer to help the miso dissolve more easily. After that, pour all the remaining ingredients from the strainer into the soup pot and stir well.

  Tip:

  • Each type of miso from different brands will have varying levels of saltiness, so it’s advisable to season with less than the amount in the recipe and add more if the flavor isn’t as strong as desired.
  • If you overdo it, you can add dashi broth or water to help reduce the saltiness of the soup.
  • If you don’t have a strainer, you can put the miso in a separate bowl, add a little soup water, and stir well to completely dissolve the miso in the bowl before adding it to the soup.
  • You should season the soup a bit stronger since when adding tofu, the water in the tofu will dilute the soup.

  Once you have seasoned to your liking, add 1 teaspoon of minced ginger and stir well.

  Next, tear the tofu into small pieces and add them to the soup pot, stirring gently and keeping it on low heat until serving.

  When serving, ladle the Tonjiru soup into a bowl or dish and sprinkle thinly sliced scallions on top, and it’s ready to enjoy!

  Tip:

  • Tearing the tofu into smaller pieces will help it absorb the flavors better and taste nicer. Additionally, you can cut the tofu into small cubes for a nicer presentation, depending on your preference.
  • If the soup is cold, you should reheat it on low or medium heat, keeping it warm at a low level, without bringing it to a boil or cooking at too high a temperature, as boiling or cooking at high heat will cause the miso to lose its flavor.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Finished Product

  Delicious and unique Tonjiru soup, full of nutrition for your whole family with soft-cooked vegetables, meat, and tofu evenly soaked in flavor, perfect for cold weather or rainy days, what could be better than that!