Tonjiru Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup, with Rice and Ginger

This post comes with part happiness and part sadness.

I had planned on putting this up on the blog last Friday, but ran out of time. A classic Japanese soup of miso, vegetables, and meat, this is one of my favorite dishes my maternal grandmother made. There was just something so tasty about the the flavor of the miso mingling with the pork juices.

I’ve been very blessed to be able to have grown up experiencing some of the dishes from my grandma’s native country, and plan to continue making them for the entirety my lifetime.

Yesterday, February 9th, 2014, my grandma passed away. It is quite heartbreaking to me and is something one can never really be prepared to face. She will not be forgotten in my heart, and will continue to live on with memories and the great food she shared. I hope that you will enjoy this wonderful dish and perhaps she will touch your soul a little too.

Black and White Photo of Young man and Woman in Kimono

Grandma and Grandpa P

Recipe after the jump!

Tonjiru

Author: Carolann Lucian

Print Recipe

Description

Prok and Vegetable Miso Soup

Ingredients

6 2/3 cupsWater
8 TBSPMiso–I use Ryotei no Aji because it contains Dashi stock already
1 BlockTofu, sliced into bite sized squares
4” longDaikon, thinly sliced
2 CupsSpinach or Seaweed
3Green Onions, diced
1.5 lbsBoneless Pork Spareribs, cut into 1” cubes

Instructions

Brown cuts of pork in a large pot. Once browned, add 6 cups of water.
Place daikon into soup and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.
When the daikon is cooked and slightly transparent, add tofu and spinach/seaweed and cook for another 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add green onions and miso paste. Allow to dissolve. Re-heat but do not allow to boil.
Serve and enjoy 🙂

Notes

I’d like to point out that if you are NOT using Ryotei no Aji miso, you will need to adjust your soup. Follow the directions on your miso container and it will tell you exactly how many tablespoons you will need for about 6 cups of water and if you need to put dashi stock in addition to the miso.
*I’d also like to mention that you can use a variety of vegetables in this. I have had it with gobo root, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and so on. Feel free to adjust it to how you like!