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Japanese vegetable soup "kenchin jiru" served in a wooden bowl and topped with chopped spring onions

Kenchin Jiru (Traditional Japanese Vegetable Soup)

5 from 1 vote
By Yuto Omura
https://sudachirecipes.com
Kenshin Jiru is a filling and nutritious soup made with a variety of vegetables served in a soy sauce-flavored dashi broth. This traditional dish is rooted in Buddhism and is suitable for vegans too!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course Sides, Soups
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 5 servings
Calories 101
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Sides, Soups
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 101

Ingredients 
 

Dashi

Kenchin Jiru

  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 75 g carrot(s) cut into rounds and quartered
  • 250 g daikon radish cut into rounds and quartered
  • 100 g burdock root (gobo) gobo, peeled and diagonally sliced
  • 150 g konjac konnyaku, rough bitesize chunks
  • 20 g fried tofu pouch (aburaage) aburaage, thinly sliced
  • 50 g shimeji mushroom(s)
  • 100 g enoki mushroom(s)
  • 50 g green onion diagonally sliced

Broth

Instructions 

  • Add 5 g dried kelp (kombu) and 10 g dried shiitake mushroom(s) to a pot with 500 ml water. Cover and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes. (If you have time, leave overnight for a deeper flavour.)
    Kombu and shiitake dashi in a bowl with water
  • Remove the shiitake mushroom and thinly slice it to add back to the soup later.
    slicing shiitake mushrooms
  • Place the pot on the stove and heat until the dashi starts to bubble (don't let it boil). When it's nearly boiling, lower the heat to simmer and remove the kombu. Simmer for 5 minutes.
    Hydrated kombu (kelp) heated in a pan of hot water
  • Heat up another large pot on medium and add 1 tsp sesame oil. Add all of the ingredients except for green onion (we'll add that later) and stir fry until the root vegetables are softened slightly.
    Sautéing vegetables for kenchin jiru
  • Pour the dashi into the pot with the other ingredients and simmer until the carrot and daikon are soft enough to pierce with a fork. 
    adding dashi broth to make kenchin jiru
  • Add 2 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp mirin and 3 tbsp soy sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
    flavouring kenchin jiru with Japanese condiments
  • Finally add 50 g green onion and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste test, you can simmer for longer to make the flavour more concentrated or add a little more soy sauce to taste.
    adding the spring onions to kenchin jiru
  • Dish up and enjoy!
    Kenchin jiru burdock root and daikon radish

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3.1g | Fat: 2.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 0.2mg | Sodium: 762.2mg | Fiber: 5.3g