Ingredients

   
270g sliced pork belly, cut into 2.5cm pieces
100g gobo (burdock root), shaved
225g taro (satoimo), peeled and sliced
170g onion, thinly sliced
245g daikon radish, quartered and thinly sliced
120g carrot, halved and thinly sliced
128g konnyaku, cut into small pieces and boiled 2–3 min
1 Tokyo negi (or leek), sliced diagonally
1 piece aburaage (fried tofu pouch), sliced thin
5g ginger, grated with juice
15g toasted sesame oil
1440g dashi (awase or vegan)
90g miso
200g medium-firm tofu, torn into pieces
  Scallion and shichimi togarashi, for garnish

Steps

  1. Heat sesame oil in a large pot over medium. Stir-fry pork belly until no longer pink. Add onion, daikon, and carrot. Stir-fry until coated in oil.

  2. Add gobo, taro, konnyaku, aburaage, and negi. Pour in dashi to cover. Bring to a boil, skim scum, cover, and simmer 10–15 minutes until root vegetables are tender.

  3. Turn off heat. Dissolve miso into the soup. Add grated ginger. Tear in tofu.

  4. Reheat on medium-low to a bare simmer — never boil. Serve with scallion and shichimi togarashi.

Notes

  • Stir-frying the pork and vegetables before adding dashi builds depth and sweetness.
  • Add miso off heat, right before serving. Boiling kills the flavor.
  • Tear the tofu instead of cutting — more surface area absorbs more miso flavor.
  • Use at least 3 root vegetables (gobo, daikon, carrot) for the best flavor.
  • Tastes even better the next day. Keeps refrigerated up to 5 days.
  • For vegetarian: skip pork, add more tofu and mushrooms, use vegan dashi.