Tonjiru is a savory miso soup with pork and root vegetables. Packed with an excellent source of vitamins, it’s absolutely nourishing and soul-fulfilling!
If you ask me what is my favorite miso soup, I would immediately say Tonjiru (豚汁). This Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup is one of the true comfort foods that I crave when I travel. There’s nothing more soothing than a simple meal of Onigiri rice balls and Tonjiru.
You might have seen Tonjiru being featured on the popular Japanese TV drama called “Shinya Shokudo (深夜食堂)” or “Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories” on Netflix. In the opening scene, the main character Master is seen to be making a big pot of hearty soup, where steam is wafting through the kitchen.
If you find yourself extra hungry after watching all the scrumptious meals prepared by the Master, it’s time to create them right in your own kitchen! Each of the dishes is doable and I have the recipes just for you (Season 1 recipes; Season 2 recipes)!
What is Tonjiru?
Tonjiru (豚汁), literally meaning “pork (ton) soup (jiru)”, is basically miso soup featuring pork and root vegetables. Some people call it Butajiru (豚汁) too, just another way to read the same kanji character.
It may be a cold-weather staple, but I do enjoy the soup year-round. Not only it’s delicious, but the soup also packs in a lot of protein, minerals, fiber, and B vitamins that are great for both body and soul. The kind of comfort food that will warm and restore you. So what’s not to love?
Ingredients You’ll Need
The Pork
The most commonly used pork for this soup is pork belly slices. They look like bacon because they are the same cut of meat but uncured. You can buy pork belly slices in Japanese or Korean grocery stores or big blocks of pork belly in Chinese grocery stores (read this tutorial on How to Slice Meat Thinly). Some American grocery stores like the meat sections at Whole Foods may also offer the same cuts if you ask.
The Vegetables
Besides pork, the characteristic of this soup is that it is loaded with hearty root vegetables such as gobo (burdock root), taro, daikon, and carrot. You can cut these vegetables into any shape and size you like. Just make sure to keep all the ingredients the same size so that they take about the same cooking time.
Each household makes slightly different Tonjiru with various ingredients and miso of their choice. Besides what I use in my recipe, I’ve seen:
- Bean sprout
- Cabbage/Napa cabbage
- Asian chives (Nira)
- Potato
- Shimeji mushroom
- Shiitake mushroom
The Soup Stock
The sauteed pork belly gives the soup a sweet-savory flavor so some people use only water and leave out dashi in their Tonjiru. However, I personally prefer dashi in the soup broth for more umami and depth.
Watch How to Make Tonjiru
It’s really easy to make this hearty miso soup. Watch the video below first before following my step by step recipe below.
Tonjiru is a savory miso soup with pork and root vegetables. Packed with an excellent source of vitamins, it’s absolutely nourishing and soul-fulfilling!
Tips on Making Tonjiru
- Use at least 3 root vegetables – I highly recommend NOT skipping gobo, daikon, and carrot. These three vegetables add unique flavors, depth, and sweetness.
- Cut vegetables in the same size and similar shape – If you want chunkier texture in your soup, you can cut bigger size but make sure all the ingredients are similar in shape and size for even cooking time.
- Stir fry the meat and vegetables before adding soup stock – This helps to bring out flavors from the ingredients and add depth to the soup.
- Let the flavor soak in while cooling – If you have time, make this soup ahead of time. While you let the soup cool and wait for the meal, the flavor will improve.
- Add miso right before serving – Miso soup is the most fragrant and tasty when it’s added right before serving. And do not let the miso soup boil as it loses its wonderful flavor.
Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Tonjiru
No time to keep a close watch on the pot? Try making Tonjiru in your pressure cooker! Here’s my recipe using the Instant Pot.
Itadakimasu!
Nourishing and easily customizable, Tonjiru is unquestionably home cooking of the best kind. You can make a big pot and enjoy it for the next 5 days! For a simple cozy dinner, I like to serve the soup to accompany the main dish like Japanese Salted Salmon along with steamed rice, pickles, and a few small sides.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Tonjiru is a savory pork and vegetable miso soup you can easily make at home. Packed with B vitamins, fiber and minerals, this healthy soup is nourishing and soul-fulfilling. You’d love it on a cold-weather day!
- 10 oz sliced pork belly (272 g; Use at least ½ lb or 227 g of pork belly; for vegan, you can skip)
- 4 oz gobo (burdock root) (½ length, 100 g)
- 8 oz Taro (Satoimo) (3 pieces, 227 g)
- 1 onion (6 oz, 170 g)
- 9 oz daikon radish (2 inches, 247 g)
- 4 oz carrot (4 inches, 123 g)
- ½ block konnyaku (konjac) (4.5 oz, 128 g)
- ¼ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (for cleaning Konnyaku)
- 1 Negi (long green onion)
- 1 piece aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch)
- 1 knob ginger (Need 1 tsp grated)
- 7 oz medium-firm tofu (½ of one package; cut into ½” cubes)
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil (roasted)
- 6 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock; click to learn more) (1440 ml; for vegan, use Kombu Dashi)
- 6 Tbsp miso (Each miso brands/types taste differently, so please adjust the amount according to your miso)
- 1 green onion/scallion
- Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (If you like to make it a bit spicy)
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It’s easier to cut pork belly if it’s slightly frozen, so put it in the freezer for 15 minutes before you cut. Meanwhile, gather all the ingredients.
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Take out the pork from the freezer and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
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Scrape the gobo skin with the back of your knife. The flavor of the gobo is right underneath the skin; therefore, you only need to scrape off the outer skin. Do not use a peeler.
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From the end of gobo, make a cross incision about 1 inch deep. This helps “sharpening” the gobo easier. Rotate as you shave the end of the gobo, like how you sharpen a pencil with a knife. Soak the shaved gobo in water to prevent discoloring.
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Discard the dirty water and rinse gobo with running water.
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Cut off both ends of taro and peel the sides with the knife (or peeler).
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Cut the taro into ⅓ inch slices and soak in water to remove the sliminess.
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Cut the onion in half lengthwise and cut into thin slices.
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Peel and cut the daikon half lengthwise.
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Cut in half again (now they are quarters) and cut into ⅛ inch slices. If you have skinnier daikon, cut into thin half-moon-shaped slices.
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Peel and cut the carrot in half lengthwise, and then slice thinly.
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Cut the konnyaku into small and thin rectangular pieces.
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Sprinkle ¼ tsp salt and rub well with hands. Leave stand for 5 minutes. Tip: Salt releases water along with the unwanted odor.
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In the meantime, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the konnyaku.
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Cook konnyaku for 2-3 minutes and drain the water. (Tip: This helps to remove the unwanted smell.) Set aside.
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Slice the negi diagonally.
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Remove excess oil on aburaage with a piece of paper towel.
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Cut in half and thinly slice it.
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Peel and grate the ginger. You’ll need 1 tsp of grated ginger.
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Cut the green onions into thin small rounds which we will use for garnish on top of the miso soup. Keep them in the bowl.
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In a large pot (I use this Le Creuset), heat 1 Tbsp sesame oil over medium heat.
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Add the pork belly and stir fry with a spatula.
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When the pork is no longer pink, add the onion.
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Stir fry and add daikon and carrot slices.
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When ingredients are coated with oil, add gobo and taro.
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Add konnyaku, aburaage, negi, and dashi. The dashi should be just enough to cover the ingredients. If not enough, add more dashi (if you have any) or water.
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Stir to mix and close the lid to bring it to boil.
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When boiling, lower the heat and skim off the scum and fat from the soup.
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Cook, covered with the lid, on simmer until root vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
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When an inserted skewer on a tough and thick vegetable pierces through, it’s done cooking. Turn off the heat. If you are preparing ahead, stop here and let cool completely before storing the pot in the refrigerator.
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For the best flavor and fragrance, miso should be added right before serving if possible. Add 5 Tbsp miso using a strainer (Tip: always start adding a little less than the recipe says; each brand/type of miso has different saltiness). If you don’t have one, let the miso completely dissolved in the ladle first before releasing it to the soup. Taste the soup. If it’s too salty, add dashi (if you have) or water. If the soup is not enough flavor, add more miso.
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I added more miso (1 Tbsp) here. When you are done with miso, add grated ginger. Tip: When you add tofu (always add tofu after miso as it is delicate), make sure your miso soup has a slightly stronger taste because the moisture from the tofu will dilute the flavor.
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Tear tofu into small pieces and add them. You can alternatively cut the tofu into cubes instead of tearing it. Tip: Tearing add more surface of tofu which will absorb more flavor of miso soup.
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When you are ready to serve, reheat the miso soup on medium-low heat and keep it at a low simmer. NEVER let the miso soup boil because miso will lose the flavor.
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Serve in the miso soup bowl, sprinkle green onion, and serve immediately.
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Let the miso soup cool completely before storing it in the refrigerator. Consume within 5 days.
Editor’s Note: Pictures updated in June 2013.
Source: Just One Cookbook
