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    Home » Recipes » Meat

    Tonjiru (豚汁) Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup

    Published: Mar 30, 2020 · Modified: Mar 3, 2022 by Yuto Omura

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    Tonjiru is the ultimate miso soup packed with tender pork belly and a tonne of extra veggies to make it more filling and delicious! You've gotta try this warming home style dish!

    Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup) top down

    Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Sudachi Recipes earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See disclaimer for more info.

    Tonjiru

    Tonjiru (豚汁) or butajiru is a type of miso soup made with pork and vegetables. It's very very common within Japanese home cooking, my mum probably made a lot more tonjiru than regular miso soup when I was growing up.

    It's warming, comforting and extremely tasty. This dish is great to make in a big batch and feed your family something delicious and nutritious.

    The simple reason why this is such a popular home cooking dish is because it's more filling than your basic miso soup.

    Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup)

    The meaning of "tonjiru"

    In Japanese, "ton" (豚) means pork and shiru (汁) means soup. These words come together to make "tonjiru" which literally means 'pork soup', so pork is kind of a must item to have for this dish.

    豚 can also be read as "buta" which is why some people call this dish as "butajiru".

    Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup) side view

    The elements of Tonjiru

    The key elements in tonjiru are dashi broth, miso paste, pork and vegetables. Let's look at each element in detail.

    Broth

    Tonjiru is made with a dashi base. Dashi is a kind of Japanese stock, there are a few different base ingredients.

    • Kombu dashi (dried kelp)
    • Katsuobushi dashi (bonito flakes from skipjack tuna)
    • Shiitake Dashi (dried shiitake mushrooms)
    • Niboshi (dried sardines)
    awase dashi side view

    In today's recipe I will make the tonjiru with a homemade dashi made with a mixture of kombu and katsuobushi, this is called "awase dashi" and we have a recipe on how to make it here.

    (Note: Our dashi recipe makes 1 litre (4 ¼ cups) but this tonjiru recipe requires 1.5 litres (6 ½ cups) so you will need to increase the ingredients by x1.5. )

    If you don't have dashi or the ingredients to make it, you can just use water but the flavour won't have so much depth.

    You can buy dashi powder or dashi packs (like teabags) on Amazon if you're looking for a shortcut.

    Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup)

    Miso Paste

    There are 3 types of miso paste in Japan;

    • Shiro miso (White miso)
    • Aka Miso (Red miso)
    • Awase Miso (A mix of white and red, also known as "yellow miso")

    Although white miso is probably most commonly used for this dish, you can use your preferred miso paste for this recipe.

    Hatcho Miso and Katsu Sando
    Hacho miso is a type of rich red miso paste famously produced in my home city of Okazaki!

    Different areas of Japan tend to use different ingredients, it's interesting how much a dish of the same name can differ from region to region.

    For example, I was born and grew up in Aichi prefecture which is known for its famous red miso (Hatcho miso) and here it's not uncommon to use red miso for tonjiru. (It's pretty rich!)

    In my recipe I used Hikari "awase miso" (yellow) this time, you can purchase it on Amazon here.

    Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup) sprinkled with shijimi close up

    Other ingredients

    While ordinary miso soup only contains a few select ingredients, tonjiru uses a wider variety. Common ingredients include:

    • Carrot
    • Spring Onion
    • Potato (usually "satoimo" also known as taro)
    • Mushroom (Japanese types such as shiitake, enoki, eryngii, shimeji)
    • Daikon radish
    • Root vegetables ("gobo" burdock root is common)
    • Tofu
    • Konjac (konnyaku)

    It's up to you which ingredients you decide to add, but I recommend to choose at least 3 from this list in addition to the pork. The ingredients in my recipe are what I personally like to use in tonjiru and you can omit the ones you can't access or don't like.

    Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup) sprinkled with shichimi
    A sprinkle of shijimi togarashi (Japanese 7 spice) adds a warming kick!

    Tips and tricks to making amazing Tonjiru at home

    It is safe to say tonjiru is one of the biggest staple dishes in Japan, meaning there are so many tips and tricks available!

    In this section, I will explain my favourite tips to make an amazing tonjiru at home as well as how to avoid common mistakes.

    The more, the merrier

    There are so many kinds of vegetables you can use in tonjiru, but I have to say, when it comes to tonjiru, the more, the merrier.

    And I mean variety of vegetables as well as quantity of vegetables.

    By adding more vegetables, the delicious and complex essence from them will come out and make the dish have more depth of flavour.

    Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup) top down

    Use pork belly block

    The most important ingredients in tonjiru is the pork and each household probably uses different type of pork. I personally recommend pork belly block specifically.

    While extremely thinly sliced pork belly is most commonly used, I personally think it doesn't have enough texture. When the pork belly is cut too thin, it almost dissolves into the soup and while it tastes good, I really enjoy the thick and tender pieces of pork in the soup.

    So in this recipe, I use pork belly block and cut it into about 2mm slices, this way, you can keep the sweet umami from pork fat as well as some meaty texture!

    Cut the root vegetables thick

    Root vegetables such as:

    • Carrots
    • Daikon
    • Gobo...etc

    Slicing thinly or finely would speed up the cooking process and shorten the simmering time, however, if you want to bring out the flavor of the ingredients, it is important to cut it slightly thicker.

    Simmering slowly allows the umami from the meat to soak into the root vegetables, giving them a delicious flavour and a nice texture. It also brings out the flavour of the root vegetables.

    Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup) closeup

    Secret ingredient: butter

    There is no doubt that miso and butter pairs very well. I wouldn't use butter for normal miso soup, but for a meaty dish like tonjiru, it's a different story.

    The tip is it's a "secret ingredient" so don't use too much.

    By saying that, when you fry vegetables and meat, use butter instead of cooking oil!

    Adding miso at two different times

    The general rule of thumb when using miso paste is not to let it boil or cook on a high heat, otherwise the miso flavour will be lost. To avoid losing the flavour, most recipes advise adding the miso paste right at the end after the heat has been turned off.

    However in this case, I want my ingredients to be flavoured by the miso paste, not only the broth. To achieve this, I add half of the miso early on to let the miso flavor soak into the vegetables and other ingredients. Then I add the other half at the very end for the finish and maximum flavour!

    Two hands holding a black bowl of tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup)

    I must say that tonjiru is one of the most homely dishes in Japanese cooking. Because is uses so many ingredients, it's filling and nutritious. It can also be a great way to use up left over vegetables.

    Tonjiru can be enjoyed on its own or as an accompaniment for a Japanese style set meal (rice, pickles and a main dish of fish or meat). I hope you enjoy this classic home style dish!

    Print
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    Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup) top down

    Tonjiru (豚汁) Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup


    • Author: Yuto Omura
    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 6-8 portions 1x
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    Description

    How to make classic Japanese homemade Tonjiru (豚汁) Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup. Tender pork belly cooked in a dashi broth with a variety of vegetables and then flavoured with a rich miso paste. Serves 6-8.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 200g (½lb) Pork belly block
    • ½ Small daikon radish (or ¼ large)
    • 1 Carrot
    • ½ Gobo (burdock root)
    • 4 Shiitake mushrooms
    • 50g (½ cup) Spring onion
    • 1 sheet konjac
    • 2 sheets aburaage (fried tofu)
    • ½ tbsp unsalted butter
    • 1500ml (6 ½ cups) dashi
    • 3 + 3-4 tbsp Miso paste (I used Hikari Awase Miso Paste)
    • 1 tsp Soy sauce
    • 1 tsp Mirin
    • 1 drizzle Sesame oil
    • Chopped spring onion to garnish (optional)
    • Shichimi Togarashi (optional)

    Instructions

    Prep

    1. Cut the pork belly into 2mm thick slices. 
      slicing pork belly
    2. Peel the daikon radish and carrot. Cut the daikon into thick slices (about 1-2cm) and then cut each slice into quarters.
      cutting daikon radish
    3. Cut the carrot into rough chunks.
      cutting carrot
    4. Remove the skin of the gobo by scraping it with the back of a knife. Cut it into diagonal slices up to 1cm thick and then place in cold water to soak.
      slicing gobo burdock root
    5. Cut off the stem of the shiitake mushrooms and cut into slices.
      slicing shiitake mushroom
    6. Slice the spring onion diagonally, approx 1cm thick. 
      slicing spring onion
    7. Take the sheet of konjac and use a spoon to make bite-size balls. 
      Scooping konnyaku with a spoon
    8. Thinly slice the aburaage.
      slicing Aburaage twice fried tofu

    Cooking

    1. Heat a large pot on medium and add ½ tbsp unsalted butter.
      melting butter in a pot
    2. Once the butter is melted, add the pork and fry until the surface is sealed.
      frying pork belly in butter
    3. Add the gobo to the pot and stir fry for 1 minute.
      adding gobo to the pot
    4. Next, add the carrot, daikon radish, mushroom, konjac and aburaage. Mix everything together.
      stirring tonjiru ingredients
    5. Pour the 1500ml (6½ cups) of dashi into the pot and stir.
      adding dashi to the pot
    6. Introduce 3 tbsp of miso paste to the soup using a mesh spoon or ladel. (Whisking the miso with the hot dashi helps incorporate it into the soup and prevents lumps.)
      introducing miso paste to the broth
    7. Mix and simmer for 15 mins.
      stirring tonjiru
    8. Scoop off any foam that develops on the surface of the soup. (This will prevent the broth from becoming cloudy.)
      removing the foam from simmering tonjiru
    9. Add spring onion and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
      adding green onion to tonjiru
    10. Add 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp of mirin, then turn off the heat.
      adding soy sauce to tonjiru
    11. Add up to 4 more tbsp of miso paste using the mesh spoon/ladle technique. Add it 1 tbsp at a time and taste test before adding more. (You might need more or less depending on the brand/type of miso.)
      introducing miso paste to tonjiru broth
    12. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve.
      drizzling tonjiru with toasted sesame oil
    13. Top each serving with chopped spring onion and a sprinkle of Japanese shichimi togarashi (optional).
      Tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup)
    14. Enjoy!
      Two hands holding a black bowl of tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup)

    Notes

    Other than pork and miso paste, the other ingredients can be swapped or omitted. See in post for more ideas. I recommend using at least 3 different vegetables.

    To make dashi stock, you can either buy stock powder or cubes from your local asian super market OR you can try making your own, check out my recipe on how to make homemade awase dashi here.

    If you can't find or make dashi, you can just use plain boiling water but won't have as much depth of flavour.

    If you have leftovers you can store in the fridge and eat within 2-3 days.

    When reheating, heat on the stove and turn off the heat just before it starts to boil. (Overcooking will diminish the flavour of the miso paste.)

    • Prep Time: 15 mins
    • Cook Time: 30 mins
    • Category: Soup
    • Method: Boiling
    • Cuisine: Japanese

    Keywords: Tonjiru, butajiru, how to make tonjiru, tonjiru recipe, how to make tonjiru, butajiru recipe, how to make butajiru, tonjiru ingredients, tonjiru soup, what is tonjiru, what is tonjiru made of, what does tonjiru mean, pork soup, pork miso soup, pork and vegetable miso soup, Japanese soups, miso tonjiru, tonjiru soup, tonjiru soup recipe

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    Thanks for visiting Sudachi Recipes. My name is Yuto and I'm a Japanese guy with a passion for food. Here I share tasty and accessible recipes so that you can bring a taste of Japan to your own kitchen.

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