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Just made it tonight! So good and so comforting!
★★★★★
– Rodrigo
I know, when you think of Japanese soup, you probably picture miso soup. It is the one most of us meet first. But one of the oldest living bowls in this country is not that one, and it never had any miso in it at all.
This one goes by kenchin jiru, and it has been simmering in Japanese home pots and temple kitchens since long before miso soup settled into the shape we know. Make it once and you will understand why it never stopped.
Kenchin Jiru
Recipe Snapshot
- What is it? A chunky Japanese vegetable soup in the clear sumashi style, built on a plant-based dashi and defined by one technique: the roots are sautéed in oil before they ever meet the broth.
- Flavor profile: Clean and root-vegetable-sweet up front, with a fragrant toasted-sesame finish.
- Why you will love this recipe: It turns a short list of humble vegetables into a bowl with real backbone, cooks entirely in one pot, and tastes even better the next day, which makes it a quiet gift for anyone who meal-preps.
- Must-haves: A good toasted sesame oil (the defining aromatic), dried kombu and dried shiitake for the plant-based dashi.
- Skill level: Easy to medium.
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What is Kenchin Jiru?
Kenchin jiru (けんちん/巻繊汁) is a chunky Japanese vegetable soup made by sautéing daikon, carrot, gobo, and konjac in oil before simmering them in a plant-based dashi of kombu and dried shiitake. It is seasoned with salt and soy sauce, not miso paste. The dish comes out of shojin ryori (精進料理), the Japanese Buddhist temple cooking tradition, which is why it holds no meat, no fish, and no animal dashi. This is a traditional Japanese soup with a long history, originating in the Kamakura period (1185-1333).
The sesame-oil sauté is not a flavor touch but the structural feature that separates kenchin jiru from every other Japanese soup, and it is how the dish gets its koku, the rounded richness that animal fat would usually provide.
Kenchinjiru Ingredients
- Kombu and dried shiitake together: These two make the soup work. On their own, each is a decent umami source, but side by side the glutamate from dried kelp (kombu) and the guanylate from dried shiitake mushrooms layer into a plant-based dashi that is quietly huge, several times deeper than either one alone. I will say it once and then shut up about it: fresh shiitake will not substitute. The drying process is where the guanylate is built.
- Mirin: A small pour lifts the sweetness of the roots and softens the salt of the soy sauce, so the broth rounds out instead of sharpening.
- Japanese soy sauce: Try to use a Japanese brand if you can. Kikkoman shows up almost anywhere in the world, and that is fine.
Substitutions, Variations, and How to Customize
Substitutions:
- Burdock root (gobo) → Parsnip: The easiest real-supermarket substitute. Parsnip is sweeter and less earthy, so use a touch more and rinse it briefly, and you will be close. Frozen pre-sliced gobo at Asian grocers is actually the best one-for-one if you can find it.
- Burdock root (gobo) → Salsify: European greengrocers carry this one. The oyster-like aroma differs from gobo’s soil note, but the long fibrous mouthfeel lands the same way. One for one.
- Konjac (konnyaku) → Shirataki noodles: Same material, just a different shape. Chop it to bite-sized pieces so it reads as chunks, not noodles.
- Aburaage → Firm tofu, cubed and pan-fried: If you cannot find aburaage, cube a block of firm tofu and brown it in a dry pan with a teaspoon of oil until it gets crisp edges. Not identical, but it covers the fried-tofu role.
- Kombu → Korean dashima: Functionally the same thing under a different label. Use it one to one. Chinese haidai works too but the flavor is leaner.
- Dried shiitake (Japanese) → Dried shiitake (any origin, including 香菇): Chinese dried shiitake is identical for our purposes. Fresh shiitake does not substitute here, the drying process is where the guanylate is built.
Have trouble finding Japanese ingredients? Check out my ultimate guide to Japanese ingredient substitutes!
Variations:
- Miso version: Some northern and central regions season kenchin jiru with miso instead of soy sauce. If you go this way, dissolve the miso off the heat at the end through a ladle or strainer so the aroma survives.
- With protein: Adding chicken or pork turns it into something closer to tonjiru, but if that is what your table wants, sear small pieces first and let the fat render into the oil. You lose the shojin identity, but it is a good bowl.
- Noodles in the bowl: Pour the soup over hot udon or a cold nest of soba. The Ibaraki version of this pairing uses soba dipped into the soup as a sauce, which is worth trying once.
- Gluten-free: Use tamari or a certified gluten-free soy sauce. Watch the mirin and sake labels.
- Traditional shojin addition: hand-torn firm tofu. Historical kenchin jiru at the Kamakura temple was finished with a block of drained firm tofu torn by hand into the pot in the last minute, a nod to the founding monk story. Drain a block for about 30 minutes, hand-tear it directly over the pot, and fold gently so it holds shape. It turns the bowl heartier and pushes it closer to a one-dish meal.
How to Customize:
- Spicier: Add shichimi togarashi at the table, a pinch per bowl.
- Brighter: Finish with a matchstick-thin sliver of yuzu peel on top. The limonene cuts the sesame richness and makes the soup feel cleaner and more refreshing.
- More fragrant: Grate a tiny knob of fresh ginger over the bowl right before serving. It does not show up in the pot, it shows up on the nose.
How to Make My Japanese Vegetable Soup
i. The night before you plan to cook (or at least 30 minutes before), put the kombu and the dried shiitake into a container of cold water.
ii. Slide it into the fridge and leave it there until the next evening. That is it, that is the prep.
You can skip this step if you use already-made vegan dashi.
- Peel and cut the daikon and the carrot into quarter-moon slices, thin enough that a fork slides through them but thick enough that they hold their shape.
- For the gobo, scrape the skin off with the back of a knife instead of peeling it, because most of the aroma lives right under the surface, and then shave it into thin diagonal pieces.
- Boil the konnyaku for 2-5 minutes to remove odors and improve texture, then wash with cold water to cool it quickly. Tear into rough chunks by hand. A spoon works too. The craggy surfaces grab onto the broth far better than clean knife cuts do.
- Slice the aburaage into thin ribbons, break the shimeji cluster into small bundles by hand, trim the base off the enoki and separate the strands.
- And cut the naganegi (Japanese leek) into angled slices. Set the naganegi aside in its own small bowl, it goes in at the very end.
i. Heat sesame oil in a heavy pot over medium heat until you can smell the first wisp of nutty steam. Add the konjac first, then the gobo, then the carrot, then the daikon, in that order, and stir them around for a minute or two between additions. The vegetables will start to look glossy at their edges, and the cooking aroma will start to fill your kitchen.
The general consensus today is that using toasted sesame oil for stir-frying diminishes its aroma. That is true and I agree. However, stir-frying vegetables in sesame oil is also part of what defines Kenchinjiru. So, while I follow tradition in this recipe, you may use a neutral oil for this step if you prefer.
i. Take your prepared vegan dashi, remove the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and cut them into slices. Add them to the pot along with the aburaage ribbons, the shimeji bundles, and the enoki now too, everything except the leek.
Pour the dashi into the pot and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Remove the kombu before it starts to bubble.
ii. Skim off the pale foam that rises in the first few minutes if needed, then drop the heat to low and let the soup go for about 10-15 minutes. The carrot and daikon should slide onto the tip of a skewer without resistance, and the gobo should still hold a little chew.
i. Stir in the sake first, then the mirin, and let them boil gently for a minute or two. The alcohol cooks off and the sugars in the mirin round out the sweetness already coming from the roots. Now pour in the soy sauce and let the whole pot come up to a soft simmer for another minute or two.
Soy sauce carries two layers of flavor, a bright aromatic top that hits your nose when you open the bottle, and a deep savory bottom that stays on your tongue. Long simmering holds onto the second one and lets the first one drift off into the steam above the stove. Adding the soy at the end keeps the aromatic top in the bowl where you can smell it.
i. Drop the sliced naganegi into the pot and simmer for another minute or two, just long enough for the white part to go tender while the green part still snaps a little.
If it feels close but not quite landed, another small pour of soy sauce will bring it home. If it feels intense, a small splash of water will soften it.
iii. Pull the pot off the heat, ladle the soup into a serving bowl, and drizzle a small final pour of toasted sesame oil across the surface. That last drizzle replaces the aromatic top that got cooked off during the simmer.
If you follow the default recipe, it will yield 6 servings.
Essential Tips & Tricks
- Cold-soak the dashi overnight in the fridge. A cool rest builds up the guanylate from the dried shiitake and keeps the iodine off-notes out of the kombu. Rush it with hot water and the broth comes out flat and slightly metallic, which is a failure you cannot correct later.
- Sauté the roots in sesame oil before you add the broth, every time. The oil film protects the cut surfaces of the vegetables during the long simmer and carries the toasted sesame aroma into the broth.
- Add the soy sauce near the end, not the beginning. The aromatic top notes in soy sauce drift off during long simmering.
- Finish the pot with a small extra drizzle of roasted sesame oil just before serving. The pyrazines that make the oil smell so good are volatile, and they fade during the simmer. A fresh teaspoon at the end puts the aroma back on top where you can smell it in the first spoonful.
With these simple tips in mind, you’re set for success every time you make kenchin jiru.
Storage & Meal Prep
Fridge: Cool the pot quickly in a shallow container, then refrigerate for 3-4 days. The broth actually gets better overnight as the root pectin softens and the umami equalizes across the pieces.
Freezer: Not recommended. A lot of the ingredients in this soup don’t freeze well.
Meal prep: The dashi holds for 2-3 days in the fridge or freezes in portions. You can cut the roots a day ahead and store them in sealed bags with a little water. The naganegi is the one thing to hold back, slice it fresh on the day of serving.
Reheating: Warm the soup gently on medium-low heat and stop at the first soft simmer around the edges, never let it come to a rolling boil. Hard reheating flattens the soy sauce aroma.
What to Serve With This Recipe
Kenchin Jiru FAQ
You might not associate Japanese cuisine with vegetarian dishes, but some very traditional vegetarian dishes still exist today. Shojin ryori (精進料理) is a type of cuisine closely associated with Buddhism that does not use meat or fish.
The word “shojin” is a Buddhist term meaning “to cultivate one’s mind by avoiding gourmet food and meat, and to cultivate one’s spirit by eating coarse or vegetarian food. The cuisine itself is said to have been established around the 12th century.
The ingredients used in shojin ryori are characterized by the use of only “shojinmono,” which refers to plant-based ingredients. So you can say shojin ryori is almost identical to the definition of modern-day vegan.
There are various theories as to the origin of the name “Kenchin.” One theory is that the name came into Japanese from a Chinese vegetarian dish called “kenchan” and another theory is that Kencho soup, made at Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura, somehow came to be called “Kenchin” soup.
Kenchin-jiru is now served in many parts of Japan but has been served at Kenchoji Temple for over 700 years. According to a theory, it spread throughout Japan as the monks who trained at Kenchoji Temple were dispatched to various regions across the country.
Dried shiitake mushrooms are required for making dashi. Although they are both the same mushrooms, in Japan they are considered completely different ingredients.
More Japanese Vegetarian Recipes
- Tofu Gyoza
- Yaki Onigiri (Japanese Grilled Rice Balls)
- Pickled Cucumber with Ginger
- Ginger Miso Soup (Vegan)
If the meat-free side of Japanese home cooking pulls you in, there is more where this came from, browse my full collection of Japanese vegetarian recipes for more inspiration.
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Traditional Japanese Vegetable Soup (Kenchin Jiru)
Ingredients
Dashi
- 500 ml water preferably soft water
- 5 g dried kelp (kombu)
- 10 g dried shiitake mushroom fresh shiitake does not substitute
Soup
- 150 g konjac (konnyaku)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil or neutral oil
- 100 g burdock root (gobo) peeled and diagonally sliced
- 75 g carrot cut into rounds and quartered
- 250 g daikon radish cut into rounds and quartered
- 20 g fried tofu pouch (aburaage) thinly sliced
- 50 g shimeji mushrooms or mushroom of your choice
- 100 g enoki mushrooms or mushroom of your choice
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 50 g Japanese leek (naganegi) diagonally sliced
- toasted sesame oil to drizzle
- finely chopped green onions topping
My recommended brands of ingredients and seasonings can be found in my Japanese pantry guide.
Can’t find certain Japanese ingredients? See my substitution guide here.
Instructions
- Soak 5 g dried kelp (kombu) and 10 g dried shiitake mushroom in 500 ml water for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.
- Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil. Drain 150 g konjac (konnyaku) and boil it for 2-5 minutes, then drain and leave to cool. Prepare the vegetables and tofu according to the ingredients list. When the konjac is cool enough to touch, tear it by hand or use a spoon to scoop rough chunks.
- Heat a large deep pot over medium and add 1 tsp toasted sesame oil. Once fragrant, add the konjac and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the vegetables one at a time, stir frying for 1-2 minutes between each addition. Start with 100 g burdock root (gobo), then 75 g carrot, then 250 g daikon radish.
- Remove the rehydrated shiitake from prepared dashi and cut into thin slices. Add it to the pot along with 20 g fried tofu pouch (aburaage), 50 g shimeji mushrooms, and 100 g enoki mushrooms. Pour the dashi into the pot and bring to a gentle simmer, removing the kombu just as small bubbles start to appear. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the carrot and daikon are fork tender.
- Stir in 2 tbsp sake, then mix and add 2 tbsp mirin. Increase the heat and let it boil for 1-2 minutes, then reduce the heat back down and add 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu).
- Add 50 g Japanese leek (naganegi) to the pot and simmer on low for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat, taste test and add a splash of soy sauce or water to balance the flavor to your preference.
- Divide the soup between serving bowls, then top with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and a sprinkle of finely chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Just made it tonight! So good and so comforting!
Hi Rodrigo,
Thank you for the comment and the picture! Looking great! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed this comforting recipe! 🙂
Yuto