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–+ servings
Sawaniwan (Japanese pork and vegetable soup) in a black bowl on a ashy wood background

Japanese Vegetable and Pork Soup (Sawaniwan)

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients  

  • ½ carrot julienned
  • ⅛ daikon radish julienned
  • 10 snow peas julienned
  • 4 fresh shiitake mushroom thinly sliced
  • 150 g thinly sliced pork belly cut into thin strips
  • 850 ml dashi stock
  • 4 tbsp Japanese light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu)
  • 4 tbsp mirin
  • salt to taste (if necessary)
  • ground black pepper garnish

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. While you wait, julienne ½ carrot, ⅛ daikon radish, and 10 snow peas, thinly slice 4 fresh shiitake mushroom and cut 150 g thinly sliced pork belly into strips.
    julienned carrot, daikon radish, green beans and thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms on a wooden chopping board
  • Prepare a bowl of cold water and set it by the stove. Once the water is boiling, add the carrot, daikon and snow peas to a pot and blanch for 30 seconds.
    simmering julienned vegetables in a pot on the stove
  • Transfer the vegetables to the bowl of cold water and dump the water from the cooking pot.
    soaking julienned vegetables in a bowl
  • Reuse the pot, add 850 ml dashi stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, add 4 tbsp Japanese light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu), 4 tbsp mirin, the pork belly, the mushrooms, and cook for 1 minute. Drain the julliened vegetables and add them to the pot. Simmer for about 3 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and the vegetables are softened to your liking.
    simmering vegetables and pork together in a pot on the stove to make sawaniwanSawaniwan (Japanese pork and vegetable soup)
  • Taste the soup and add salt to taste if needed. Divide into serving bowls and sprinkle with ground black pepper. Enjoy!
    Sawaniwan (Japanese pork and vegetable soup) in a black bowl on a white background

Notes

No light soy sauce: Swap in standard Japanese soy sauce, measure for measure, and add a pinch of salt. Light soy sauce is pale yet about 18% salt, more than the standard kind. The broth turns a shade darker.
Less-sodium soy sauce is a different product: Pick the bottle labeled usukuchi. A bottle labeled lite, less sodium or reduced sodium is another product and will not give the same pale color or salt.
Pork first, for 1 minute: While the pork simmers on its own, umami from the belly fat moves into the dashi. Only after that do the vegetables go back in.
Gentle heat after the light soy sauce: The harder the pot boils, the duller the clean aroma of the dashi turns. Drop the heat to low as soon as the dashi boils.
Match the length too: Strips of uneven length or width cook unevenly in the same 3 minutes or so, and one bowl ends up with tender pieces and hard ones together.
If the soup turns too salty: Add dashi a little at a time and taste after each addition.