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Kenchinjiru (Vegetable and Tofu Soup)
Serves 3 · About 35 min
A soy sauce soup packed with daikon, carrot, burdock, konnyaku and tofu, stir-fried in sesame oil and then simmered.
① Cut the vegetables→② Stir-fry the toppings→③ Simmer with water and dashi→④ Season with soy sauce
What to buy
Tofu & konnyaku
Vegetables
Seasonings & dry goods
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How to make it
1
Cut the vegetables and konnyaku
- Peel the daikon and cut into 5 mm thick quarter-rounds (cut lengthwise into 4, then slice from the end)
- Peel the carrot too and cut into 3 mm thick quarter-rounds
- Lightly scrape the skin off the burdock with the back of a knife and cut into 3 mm thick diagonal slices. Soak in a bowl of water for 5 min, then drain in a colander
- Tear the konnyaku into pieces about 2 cm with a spoon
- Cut the leek 1 cm wide
How to tell it's doneEverything is cut, and the burdock is drained.
2
Stir-fry the toppings
- Put 1 tbsp sesame oil in a pot and heat on medium heat
- Add the daikon, carrot, burdock and konnyaku, and stir-fry 3 min, mixing with a spatula
- Crumble the tofu by hand into pieces about 2 cm as you add it to the pot, and stir-fry 1 min
How to tell it's doneAll the vegetables are coated with oil and shiny, and the corners of the daikon are starting to turn a little see-through.
3
Simmer with water and dashi
- Add 600 ml water and 1 1/2 tsp dashi granules and turn to medium heat
- When it boils, scoop the brownish foam (scum) off the surface with a ladle and throw it away
- Turn to medium-low heat and simmer about 10 min
How to tell it's doneA bamboo skewer (or chopstick) goes in easily into the daikon.
4
Season with soy sauce
- Add 1 tbsp sake, 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce and 1/4 tsp salt
- Add the leek and simmer 1–2 min
- Taste it. If it tastes weak, add soy sauce 1/2 tsp at a time
ReadyWhen the leek is soft, turn off the heat and serve in bowls.
📚 Learn more about this dish
🥬 Ingredient guide
If it didn't work out
The burdock is toughIt did not simmer long enough in step 3. Add 2–3 min at a time until a bamboo skewer goes into the burdock easily.
The tofu broke into tiny bitsYou stirred too much after adding the tofu in step 2. After adding the tofu, just give the pot 1–2 big stirs.
The flavor is weakUsually it needs more soy sauce or salt. Add soy sauce 1/2 tsp at a time and taste each time.
The soup is cloudy and bitterYou did not skim the scum in step 3. Scoop off the brown foam that appears when it boils.
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