Piri-Kara Spicy Soup (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】ピリ辛スープ · Piri-Kara Soup
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
"Piri-kara" is the Japanese word for a pleasant little tingle of heat, and that is exactly what this soup delivers: a savory pork and vegetable broth rounded out with miso and soy sauce, with just enough doubanjiang to warm you up. The elementary school version has a bit more kick than a preschool soup, and the mix of napa cabbage, garlic chives, carrot, green onion and soft cubes of silken tofu makes it filling enough to anchor a lunch tray. Garlic and sake take away any porky smell, and since the chili bean paste goes in separately, you can dial the spiciness up or down for your own family.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 29.9 gnapa cabbage
- 14.4 gonion
- 7.4 ggarlic chives (nira)Flat-leaved chives with a mild garlic flavor, sold in bunches at Asian markets. Substitute: Scallion greens with a little minced garlic.
- 7.4 gcarrot
- 7.4 ggreen onion (naga negi)Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
- 29.9 gsilken tofu
- 29.9 gthinly sliced pork (komagire)Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- 222 gwater
Seasonings
- 2.1 gvegetable oil
- 0.3 ggarlic paste (tube)Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 0.8 gsakeSake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- 1 gconsommé bouillon (granules or cube)Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- 3.3 gsoy sauce
- 3.3 gmisoFermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- 0.3 gdoubanjiang (Chinese chili bean paste)A salty, spicy Sichuan paste of fermented broad beans and chilies; use a very small amount for children. Substitute: Gochujang, or a little miso mixed with a few drops of chili sauce. Many gochujang brands contain wheat, and some doubanjiang and miso do too, so check the labels if you avoid wheat.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- garlic chives (nira) (にら)
- Flat-leaved chives with a mild garlic flavor, sold in bunches at Asian markets. Substitute: Scallion greens with a little minced garlic.
- green onion (naga negi) (ねぎ)
- Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
- thinly sliced pork (komagire) (豚こま切れ肉)
- Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- garlic paste (tube) (にんにくチューブ)
- Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- sake (酒)
- Sake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- consommé bouillon (granules or cube) (コンソメ)
- Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- miso (みそ)
- Fermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- doubanjiang (Chinese chili bean paste) (豆板醤)
- A salty, spicy Sichuan paste of fermented broad beans and chilies; use a very small amount for children. Substitute: Gochujang, or a little miso mixed with a few drops of chili sauce. Many gochujang brands contain wheat, and some doubanjiang and miso do too, so check the labels if you avoid wheat.
Directions
- 1
Cut the napa cabbage into thin strips, thinly slice the onion, cut the garlic chives into 2 cm lengths, cut the carrot into thin strips, and thinly slice the green onion into rounds. Cut the tofu into cubes and the pork into 2 cm pieces.
- 2
Heat the oil in a pot, add the carrot, onion and green onion, and stir-fry over medium heat for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the pork, garlic paste and sake, and stir-fry until the pork is cooked through.
- 3
Add the water and bring to a boil, skimming off any scum. Add the napa cabbage, garlic chives, consommé, soy sauce, miso and doubanjiang, and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
- 4
Finish by adding the tofu, simmer briefly, and turn off the heat.
Adjust the spiciness by changing the amount of doubanjiang.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 114.3 kcal | 228.6 kcal | 114.3 kcal |
| Protein | 8.9 g | 17.7 g | 8.9 g |
| Fat | 6.5 g | 12.9 g | 6.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6 g | 12 g | 6 g |
| Fiber | 1.7 g | 3.3 g | 1.7 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1.4 g | 2.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Calcium | 51 mg | 102 mg | 51 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Potassium | 342.9 mg | 685.8 mg | 342.9 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 114.3 kcal | 8.9 g | 6.5 g | 6 g | 1.7 g | 1.4 g | 51 mg | 0.8 mg | 342.9 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 228.6 kcal | 17.7 g | 12.9 g | 12 g | 3.3 g | 2.7 g | 102 mg | 1.5 mg | 685.8 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
This is the elementary-school portion of Piri-Kara Soup (Mildly Spicy Pork and Vegetable Soup) (larger quantities, same method).
