Elizabeth Andoh’s Miso-Thickened Pork and Burdock Soup

Name: Elizabeth Andoh’s Miso-Thickened Pork and Burdock Soup
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: ½ tsp. canola or other neutral oil; 8 oz/225 g boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat and cut into small, thin strips; 1-in/2.5-cm.chunk daikon radish, about 2 oz/55 g, peeled and cut into matchsticks; 1 tsp. kosher or fine sea salt; 8 cups/2 L water; 1 large leek, about 8 oz/225 g, white and light green part only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise into half-moons; 7 oz/200 g burdock root, scrubbed, trimmed, and cut on a sharp diagonal into slices ⅛ in/3 mm thick; 1 small carrot, about 3 oz/85 g, trimmed, peeled, and cut into matchsticks; 3 tbsp mugi miso (see Cook’s Note); 3 tbsp. Saikyo miso or white miso (see Cook’s Note); 12-in/30.5-cm. square kombu, wiped lightly on both sides with a damp paper towel (see Cook’s Note); ½ tsp. soy sauce; 1 block fresh firm tofu, about 15 oz/430 g, drained, pressed to release more moisture, and then blotted dry; 1 small bunch mitsuba (about 15 stalks), trimmed, stems cut into ½-in/12-mm pieces, and leaves chopped (see Cook’s Note)

Preparation info

Serves
6 to 8

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

Roots

By Diane Morgan

Published 2012

About

This recipe is adapted from one that appears in Elizabeth Andoh’s terrific cookbook, Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen. She refers to this hearty soup as “a jumble of pork bits, root vegetables, and diced tofu in a miso-thickened broth.” I find this soup soulful and absolutely delightful on a cold winter’s night.

Ingredients

Asia
Japan
Soup
Winter

Ingredients

Method