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Miso Kenchinjiru (Japanese Vegetable Soup) | 味噌けんちん汁

Kenchinjiru is a Japanese plant-based soup made with vegetables and tofu. It's a hearty, comforting, and healthy meal or side dish.
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Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • ½ package konnyaku (about 4 ½ oz)
  • 1 sheet abura-age**1
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil*
  • 100 grams gobo (burdock root) peeled and thinly sliced
  • 180 grams daikon peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 leaves napa cabbage chopped
  • 700 ml kombu dashi**2
  • 2 tsp mirin optional
  • 2 green onions thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp red or awase miso*

Instructions

  • Soak cut gobo in a bowl of water. You will notice the water get very brown after a few minutes. Soak until ready to cook.
  • Boil konnyaku for 2 minutes or pour boiling water over konnyaku and let it soak for a few minutes. Drain and rinse. Thinly slice.
  • Boil abura-age for 1 minute or pour boiling water over it and let it soak for a minute. Drain and quickly rinse under cold water. When cool enough to handle, gently squeeze out excess water. Thinly slice.
  • Heat sesame oil in a pot over medium heat. Drain and rinse gobo, then add to the pot along with daikon and carrots. Stir to coat with oil and cook for a minute.
  • Stir in cabbage and cook another minute.
  • Stir in konnyaku and abura-age. Add dashi and mirin and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until all the veggies are tender.
  • Turn off heat and add green onions. Place miso in a ladle and fill with some of the broth. Stir until miso dissolves in the broth, then mix into the soup.

Notes

1) You can swap for 1/2 a block of Japanese soft tofu or silken firm tofu*. Cut into cubes or just break into chunks with your hands.　
2) You can use 1 teaspoon instant dashi granules* + 700ml water, or make your own kombu dashi. To make kombu dashi, soak about 8 grams of kombu in 700ml of water overnight (covered) in the fridge, or for 2-3 hours at room temperature (mizudashi method). OR you can use the nidashi method and place kombu and water in a pot. Let the kombu soak for 30-60 minutes, then place over medium low heat and slowly bring to a boil. Right before boiling, remove the kombu. You can also soak 2 dried shiitake mushrooms with the kombu, then slice the shiitake and use it in the soup (add with the cabbage).
Variations: Feel free to play around with the ingredients! Other common veggies are taro, mushrooms, lotus root, and bamboo. You could also add in a little grated ginger for spice. Get creative!