Miso-Thickened Pork and Vegetable Soup (Ton-Jiru)

I really loved the clean, fresh flavors of Japanese cooking. This one is out of a book on home-style Japanese cooking - real 'every-day' kind of stuff. I love miso and soy together in pretty much anything. The leeks give up a lot to the broth, I think. I used lotus root here, as I couldn't find burdock root, and it worked out just fine. Also couldn't get my hands on mitsuba (Japanese parsley) so I throw some sliced scallions in there. I only had one kind of miso paste and I used it for all 6 tablespoons called for.

This is just a really nice, fulfilling, sustaining soup. Very home-y!

1 Japanese leek or small Western leek, about 3 ounces
½ teaspoon vegetable oil
6 ounces boneless pork from loin or shoulder, cut into small, thin strips
1 small carrot, about 3 ounces, peeled and cut into julienne
1-inch chunk daikon, about 2 ounces, peeled and cut into julienne
5-6 inches burdock root, about 3 ounces, rinsed and lightly scraped (page 58) and cut on the diagonal into thin slices
Pinch of salt
Splash of sake
2 quarts water
12 square inches kombu
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 block firm tofu, about 14 ounces, drained and pressed, then cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small bunch mitsuba, about 15 stalks, trimmed, stems cut into short pieces, and leaves chopped
3 tablespoons mugi miso
3 tablespoons sweet light miso, preferably Saikyo miso

Trim away the hairy root and any tough green top of the leek and then cut in half lengthwise. Rinse under cold water to remove any grit or soil. Place the cut edges down on a cutting board and slice on the diagonal into thin strips. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a deep pot over high heat. Stir-fry the pork for 1 minute, or until it begins to color. Then add the leek, carrot, daikon, and burdock root and continue to stir-fry over high
heat for 1 minute. Add the salt and sake and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the burdock root emits a woodsy aroma.

Add the water and kombu. When the soup begins to boil, skim away any froth and reduce the heat to maintain a steady but not vigorous simmer. Continue to cook, skimming away froth as needed, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender and the pork is thoroughly cooked. Remove and discard the kombu. Season with the soy sauce, Add the tofu to the soup and simmer for 1 minute to heat it through.

Divide the mitsuba evenly among individual soup bowls. Just before serving, place the miso in a miso koshi and stir directly into the soup. Or place the miso in a bowl, ladle in some of the hot stock from the pot, stir to mix it, and add to the pot.

Ladle the soup into the bowls. The brief exposure to hot soup is sufficient to cook the mitsuba. Serve immediately.