Pork Miso Soup (豚汁 / Tonjiru)

Steep Kombu (45 g) in Filtered Water (1 ½ liters) in a stockpot at 60 °C for about 30min

Strain, and bring temperature to about 80 °C

Add Katsuobushi (40 g) to the dashi, and allow to steep for 30sec to a few min

Konyakku, or Konjac, needs to be prepped in order to remove it's fishy odors. Prepare a small pot of boiling water and grab any salt.

After cutting the konyakku into manageable match sticks, season with salt and mix thoroughly. This will draw out some initial odors

Blanch the konyakku in boiling water for 3 min

Shock in cool water, then reserve until ready to use

In a sauce pan, heat up the sesame oil (1 Tbsp) over medium heat

Add sliced pork (100 g) and sauté until no pink / raw meat is visible

Add onions (30 g) and sauté until lightly translucent, maybe 1 to 2 minutes

Add the remaining burdock (20 g), daikon (50 g), carrot (30 g), konyakku (60 g). Sauté for a few minutes until fragrant

Add dashi (750 mL) and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any fond. While the heat is on medium, make sure to skim any foam and cook vegetables until tender (about 10 to 15min)

It is very important to not expose miso to boiling temperatures, or else the aromas and flavors will disappear.

Lower the heat to med-low, and dissolve the white miso (40 g) and red miso (30 g) into a strainer to disperse into the soup. Alternatively, ladle a small portion of miso in a separate bowl, whisk until miso is dispersed, then pour back into soup.

Adjust miso to taste, then garnish with sliced green onion rounds.