Pork and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

  • pork belly - 200g/7 oz, cut into thin strips
  • shiitake mushrooms - 4, remove stems and thinly sliced
  • carrot - 50g/2 oz, thinly sliced
  • ½ black konnyaku - 125g/4 oz
  • gobo - 50g/2 oz, optional
  • potato - 1, medium,, thinly sliced
  • daikon - 115g/4 oz, peeled and sliced
  • red or white miso paste - 3 tbsp
  • rice vinegar - 1 tsp
  • bonito stock or instant dashi and kombu - 800ml/27fl oz/3½ cups
  • oil - 2 tsp
  • sake or dry white wine - 1 tbsp

For the garnish

  • shichimi (seven-spice flavoring)
  • scallions - 2, thinly sliced

Method

  • If you using gobo, scrub the skin off with vegetables brush.
  • Slice the vegetables and soak the gobo in water with vinegar for 5 minutes. Then drain it.
  • Put the piece of konnyaku in a small pan then add water enough to cover it. Then boil over a a medium heat, then drain and cool it.
  • Tear the konnyaku into 1in lupms.
  • Heat the oil and quickly stir-fry the pork. Then add all the konnyaku, potato, carrot, gobo, daikon and shiitake mushrooms, then stir-fry for a minutes. Pour in the sake.
  • Boil the soup, then skim it and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
  • Ladle a little of the soup into a small bowl and dissolve the miso paste in it.
  • Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and boil.
  • Remove from the heat, serve in a bowl and sprinkle with scallions and shichimi. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

More Japanese Recipes