This quick tonjiru (豚汁), or Japanese pork miso soup comes together in about 30 minutes and is seasoned with shiromiso, giving it a pleasantly sweet and rich creamy taste.
Heat a pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add the 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and sauté the 130 grams onions, 100 grams carrots, 60 grams burdock and 160 grams shirataki noodles.
Add the 250 grams pork shoulder and stir-fry until until the pork is cooked through.
250 grams pork shoulder
Add the ½ cup sake and bring to a boil. Cook until the vapors no longer smell like alcohol.
½ cup sake
Add the 4 cups water and 250 grams potatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender (about 20 minutes).
4 cups water, 250 grams potatoes
Turn down the heat and add the ⅔ cup Saikyo white miso, stirring well to ensure there are no clumps of miso left. Once the miso is added, do not let the soup boil or the miso will separate.
⅔ cup Saikyo white miso
Garnish the Tonjiru with scallions and serve with rice.
scallions
Notes
To prepare the burdock, fill a bowl with cold water and then add some lemon juice, vinegar, or citric acid. Soaking the burdock in acidic water keeps it from oxidizing and turning brown. Peel the burdock, and rub some of the acidic water on the surface. Use a knife to shave thin strips of burdock into the acidified water, turning the burdock a quarter turn with each stroke as if you're sharpening a pencil with a knife. Let the burdock soak until you are ready to use it, and then drain and rinse it before using.