Tonjiru with Spinach (Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup)
豚汁（ほうれん草） · Tonjiru
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Tonjiru is miso soup's heartier cousin: a warming bowl of pork, root vegetables, tofu and shirataki noodles simmered in dashi and seasoned with miso. It is a staple of home cooking and school lunches across Japan, and this version adds spinach for a little extra color and green vegetables. The vegetables are cut small so they cook through and fit easily on a child's spoon, and the miso is simmered with the vegetables so its flavor soaks right into them. Children love the soft daikon and the gentle sweetness the onion gives the broth.
Wheat-free, but uses miso (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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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 preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 12 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.
- 12 gcarrot
- 18 gdaikon radish
- 18 gfirm tofu
- 15 gonion
- 12 gspinach
- 9 gshirataki (konjac noodles)Translucent, chewy, very low-calorie noodles made from konjac yam, sold in water-filled packs. Substitute: Glass noodles, or omit.
Seasonings
- 180 gdashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 4.5 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.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- 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.
- shirataki (konjac noodles) (糸こんにゃく)
- Translucent, chewy, very low-calorie noodles made from konjac yam, sold in water-filled packs. Substitute: Glass noodles, or omit.
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 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.
Directions
- 1
Cut the pork into 1 to 2 cm wide pieces. Cut the carrot and daikon into small quarter-rounds (icho-giri) about 5 mm thick, and cut the firm tofu into 1.5 cm cubes.
- 2
Halve the onion and slice it thinly. Cut the shirataki into 2 cm lengths (use the type that does not need pre-boiling to remove bitterness).
- 3
Cut the spinach into 3 cm lengths and boil it in hot water for 3 minutes.
- 4
Put the dashi stock, carrot, daikon and onion in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the pork and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, skimming off any scum.
- 5
Add the shirataki, dissolve in the miso, and simmer over low heat for another 10 minutes.
- 6
Add the tofu and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach from step 3.
When making regular miso soup, the miso goes in at the very end and is not simmered, so its aroma does not cook off. With tonjiru, though, we want the miso flavor to soak into the vegetables, so we add it early and let it simmer.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 58.5 kcal | 117 kcal | 58.5 kcal |
| Protein | 5.6 g | 11.1 g | 5.6 g |
| Fat | 2.4 g | 4.8 g | 2.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 5.4 g | 10.8 g | 5.4 g |
| Fiber | 1.7 g | 3.3 g | 1.7 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 48 mg | 96 mg | 48 mg |
| Iron | 0.9 mg | 1.8 mg | 0.9 mg |
| Potassium | 378 mg | 756 mg | 378 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 58.5 kcal | 5.6 g | 2.4 g | 5.4 g | 1.7 g | 0.8 g | 48 mg | 0.9 mg | 378 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 117 kcal | 11.1 g | 4.8 g | 10.8 g | 3.3 g | 1.5 g | 96 mg | 1.8 mg | 756 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool 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.
