Hi there!
How is going?
Do you like Miso soup? I found lots of people think Miso soup is just wakame and tofu, or onion and wakame. When I had a Japanese restaurant, a girl ordered miso soup but was expecting just wakame and onion or tofu with miso. We served Tonjiru, or Buta-jiru, with lots of veges and pork which is the recipe I’ve posted this time. Anyway, she said that this isn’t miso soup, miso soup had only wakame and onion. That’s not always the case so I’m going to talk a little about miso soup.
Miso history
The word “miso” first appeared in literature in the Heian period (794-1185). At that time, miso was not used as a seasoning in cooking as it is today but was used for dipping, licked, or eaten as is. It was also used as a salary or gift for people of high rank and was a precious commodity that could not be consumed by the common people.
In the Kamakura period (1185-1333), under the influence of monks who came to Japan from China, mortars were used to grind miso grains, which dissolved easily in water and came to be used as miso soup. It is said that with the appearance of miso soup, the basic diet of the Kamakura samurai, “one soup, one vegetable (main dish, soup, side dish, and pickles)” was established. Originally, it was a meal that emphasized frugality, but today it is treated as a balanced style of eating.
Warlords always carried miso as food on the battlefield. At that time, miso was not only a seasoning, but also a valuable source of protein. It was also a nutritious food that could be preserved, so they dried or grilled it to make it easier to carry. Shingen Takeda called it “Shinshu miso,” Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Ieyasu Tokugawa called it “soybean miso,” and Masamune Date called it “Sendai miso.
As the population of Edo grew the demand for miso far exceeded the available supply so more and more miso was sent to Edo from Mikawa and Sendai, and miso shops prospered. As the population of Edo was more male than female, eating out became popular so more and more miso dishes appeared and Miso soup became the taste of the common people and part of their daily lives.
Types of Miso
It is said that there are more than 800 miso breweries in Japan. Most of them were established in the Edo period (1603-1868), and many of them are named after the clan that lived there at that time.
In Hokkaido, medium dry miso with a red color is the mainstream, while Sendai is famous for Sendai Miso, a red dry miso that has been handed down since the days of the Masamune period. Although rice is the most common grain used for miso throughout Japan, beans are used in the Chubu region, and barley is used in some areas of Kyushu and Shikoku.
Most people think that miso soup is just scallions and wakame or tofu, but you can add whatever you like to miso soup.
For example, some people add cabbage, eggplant, fried tofu, zucchini, carrots, daikon, salmon, chicken, and milk.
My favourite miso soup is pork miso soup. It has a lot of ingredients and is quite filling on its own.
Butajiru (Tonjiru) history
There are many theories about the origin of this soup, including the theory that meat was added to kenchin-jiru. This theory is a reference to botan-nabe, when the former Japanese Navy made it with miso instead of curry powder. In addition to its delicious looks and taste of Tonjiru you can get a variety of nutrients such as protein, vitamins, and minerals in one dish.
Where you get ingredients
Miso paste-you can buy at Woolworth, Coles, Asian shops
Dashi powder-Woolworth, Coles, or Asian shops
Konjac- Asian shops (You don’t have to use it)
What is konjac?
Konjac has long been called “grated sand for the stomach” or “the broom for the stomach.
This means that eating konjac, which is rich in dietary fibre, cleanses the body of unnecessary substances.
Tips for this recipe
Tonjiru (Butajiru) is basically a combination of pork and plenty of root vegetables. In this case, I used daikon, carrots, onions, sweet potato, and Konjac.
As for pork, I recommend using thinly sliced pork belly, which has a good amount of umami and fat. I think the thinner pork is better than the thicker pork as it blends well with the soup.
To make a delicious Tonjiru, it is important to stir the ingredients before adding water or soup stock.
After adding the water, increase the heat and wait for it to boil. When the water boils, scoop out the scum with a ladle.
Before adding miso paste, check all vegetables are soft and remove scum.
Once you’ve added the miso paste, turn off the heat. Don’t allow it to boil otherwise you soup will taste salty.
Tonjiru (Butajiru)
Ingredients
- 220 g Thin Sliced pork
- 160 g Sweet potato Middle size 1 each
- 150 g Onion 1 each
- 140 g Daikon White radish
- 60 g Carrot Small size 1 each
- 1 pack Konjac
- 1 tsp Salt for Konjac
- 2 tsp Dashi powder
- 65 g Miso paste
- 1 L Water
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Unpack the konjac, score on both sides, then cut it into bite sized pieces.
- Put the konjac into a bowl. Add 1 tsp of salt, rub well, then leave 15mins.
- Cut the onion, carrot, and sweet potato into bite sized pieces.
- Cut daikon into quarter round.
- Put all vegetables into a bowl, add water, wash them, then strain the water.
- Cut the pork into bite sized pieces.
- Add water into the konjac bowl, wash, then strain the konjac.
- Add sesame oil into the pot and turn heat to mid.
- Add the pork and cook through.
- Add the onion and stir, then add all remaining vegetables and stir well.
- Add the konjac and stir well.
- Cook the vegetables for 2-3 mins.
- Add 1L of water into the pot and bring to the boil.
- Once boiling, remove any scum.
- Check the vegetables are soft, if still hard, reduce heat to low.
- Add the Dashi powder and miso paste. Simmer until the miso paste has melted.
- Turn off heat and you’re done.
Video
Would you like this
How to Make Japanese Lunch Bento Box
YouTube Channel
The Grazing Wombat
