Tonjiru is one of my favorite soups to make on a cold day. It has pork belly, tofu, and vegetables, mixed in a dashi and miso broth. I always serve this with rice, and the kids will either dump the rice in the soup or mix it in with their spoon. You will never regret making Tonjiru…it’s awesomeness!
In traditional Tonjiru there are a lot more items like gobo, green onions, mushrooms, and aburaage (deep- fried tofu skin), but for this kid-friendly recipe I skipped them. I have had way too many dishes fail because my kids see green, and that means no green onions. If you have kids that like tofu, then I would for add the aburaage, as it is a nice sweet flavor and chewy texture, and you will most likely like it. For this round, I didn’t add it, but I have added it before and the kids like it.
This is how I typically serve it, simple and not a lot of work.
Kid Recommendations:
I would stick to the basics for the main ingredients the first time around, with pork belly, tofu, daikon, and carrots. In a weird way it reminds me of a Japanese chicken noodle soup, but like a lot better. If your kids like chicken noodle soup, they will definitely like Tonjiru. Then the next time you make it add one more ingredient, I would go for the aburaage as the next item, then maybe the green onions.
Tonjiru for Kids (Pork and Vegetable Soup)
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pork Belly (Sliced) I always add more though
- 1 package Tofu (Soft)
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Daikon
- 1 Onion
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 4 tsp Dashi Powder
- 6 cups Water
- 7 tbsp Miso Paste not white miso paste
Instructions
- Find Ingredients
Prep
- Cut the sliced pork in 1/2 inch slices
- Peel and cut the onion
- Peel and cut the carrot
- Peel and cut the daikon
- Mix the dashi powder and water
- Cut the Tofu in small blocks
Cooking
- Add 2 tbsp of sesame oil to the pan, and heat over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of vegetable oil to the pot as well, this helps with frying up the pork belly and will keep your smoke down.
- Add sliced pork belly to the pot and fry up until the pork belly is almost brownish.
- After the pork is browned up, add onions, carrots, and daikon. I would then fry for a couple of minutes just to break down the vegetables a little bit.
- Add the mixed dashi to the pot, and bring to a boil.
- After the pot gets boiling, reduce to a simmer, and cover the pot for another 15 minutes. This will get the vegetables nice and soft and continue cooking the pork belly.
- Uncover the pot and add 3 tbsps of miso to a strainer. Add it to the soup, and repeat with another 3 tbsps of miso added next. At this point I always try the broth. If you want to add the last 1 tbsp of miso to your soup you can, if not skip it.. I always do, but if your kids don't like the miso flavor then stop.
- Mix the sliced tofu in, and you are finished!
I adapted this Tonjiru recipe from Nami @ Justonecookbook, make sure to click over for how to cook the full-featured Tonjiru.
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