Tonjiru (Japanese pork and miso soup)
Hearty winter soup of pork, daikon, potato and burdock in a savoury miso dashi — warming, rustic and quick to make.
Tonjiru is the proper winter hug in a bowl — a rustic miso soup studded with pork and chunky root vegetables. It’s heartier than ordinary miso soup, perfect for cold evenings or when you want something both comforting and true to Japanese home cooking.
This version uses ready dashi and thinly sliced pork shoulder to keep the recipe quick enough for a weeknight, while konnyaku and burdock root add that unmistakeable earthy, traditional note. Serve with steamed rice for a simple, filling meal.
Ingredients
- 1.2 l dashi stock
- 300 g thinly sliced pork shoulder — well trimmed of excess fat
- 60 g white miso paste
- 300 g potato — peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 200 g daikon — peeled and thinly sliced into half-moons
- 120 g carrot — peeled and cut into thin rounds
- 80 g burdock root — scrubbed and cut into thin matchsticks
- 150 g konnyaku — ready-prepared block, torn or thinly sliced
- 15 ml sesame oil
- 15 ml sake
- 15 ml mirin
- 15 ml light soy sauce
- 2 spring onion — thinly sliced on the diagonal
- sea salt — to taste
Equipment
- large saucepan or stockpot
- ladle
- wooden spoon
- fine sieve or skimmer
- peeler
Instructions
Prepare the konnyaku: rinse, slice thinly or tear into bite-sized pieces, then place in a small pan of boiling water and simmer for 2 minutes to remove any bitterness. Drain and set aside.
Prepare the vegetables: peel and cut the potato into bite-sized chunks, peel and slice the daikon into 3–4mm half-moons, peel and thinly slice the carrot, and scrub and slice the burdock root into thin matchsticks. Keep the prepared veg together on a board.
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the sesame oil. When hot, add the thinly sliced pork shoulder and sauté, stirring, until the pork changes colour and starts to brown at the edges, about 3–4 minutes.
Add the prepared potato, daikon, carrot, burdock root and the par-boiled konnyaku to the pan with the pork. Stir for 1–2 minutes to coat the veg in oil and combine flavours.
Pour in the dashi stock, then add the sake, mirin and light soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim any grey scum from the surface, cover partially and simmer until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife, 15–20 minutes.
Lower the heat completely. Place the white miso paste in a small bowl or ladle, add a few tablespoons of hot broth and whisk until smooth, then stir the dissolved miso back into the soup. Heat gently for 30–60 seconds to warm through — do not let the soup boil after adding miso.
Taste and adjust seasoning with a little sea salt or extra soy sauce if needed. Scatter the sliced spring onion over the soup and serve immediately in warmed bowls.
Tips
- If you buy konnyaku ready-packed, a quick blanch removes any faint odour — it’s worth the 2 minutes.
- Dissolve miso in a ladle of hot stock before adding to the pot to avoid lumps and to control the saltiness.
- Do not boil the soup after adding miso; keep the heat low to preserve flavour and aroma.
- Cut vegetables into similar-sized pieces so everything finishes cooking at the same time — delicate daikon will then stay intact.
- Make-ahead: the soup keeps well in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat gently over a low heat and add a splash of water if it has thickened.
Substitutions
dashi stock → 1.2 litres vegetable stock plus a 5cm strip of kombu simmered briefly, remove kombu before serving
Stays closekonnyaku → extra potato or firm tofu, 150g
Noticeably differentlight soy sauce → tamari, same quantity (15 ml) for gluten-free
Stays closethinly sliced pork shoulder → thinly sliced pork belly or minced pork, same weight
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 320
- Calories
- 20 g
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 1200 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use instant dashi powder?
Yes — dissolve dashi powder into 1.2 litres boiling water according to the packet instructions for a quick, authentic base.
Why must I not boil after adding miso?
Boiling degrades miso’s delicate flavours and aroma, making the soup taste flat. Heat only gently after miso is added.
What can I do if I can’t find burdock root?
You can omit it or replace with more carrot or parsnip; the flavour will be slightly sweeter and less earthy.
How long will tonjiru keep?
Keep refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 48 hours. Reheat gently on a low heat; do not boil after reheating if miso was already added.
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