A warm and comforting Tonjiru Japanese Pork Miso Soup recipe. A hearty cold weather soup full of tender pork belly and healthy vegetables that’s easy to make and so satisfying! It’s a go-to Japanese soup recipe during the winter months!
Tonjiru, meaning “pork soup” in Japanese, is one of the heartiest and umami packed soups I have ever had.
One taste and you will be asking yourself, how you could have possibly be alive all this time without this delicious soup!
Made from traditional miso and flavored with all the goodness from the pork belly and veggies, not only is this soup healthy but it’s also low in carbs making it a perfect staple for a low carb or keto diet.
This hearty soup is very easy to make and makes for a perfect meal to warm you up during the winter season.
What is Japanese Tonjiru Pork Miso Soup?
Tonjiru is a hearty soup made from traditional miso paste that’s been cooked with pork belly and various healthy roots and vegetables.
What is miso and what kind should I use to make Japanese Tonjiru miso soup?
Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans. It adds a savory umami flavor to many Japanese dishes.
There are many kinds of miso including red/aka, white/shiro, and brown/awase. Awase means a mix and it’s a blend of white and brown miso paste.
For pork miso soup, I recommend using brown/awase miso for the perfect balance of salt and umami.
What kind of pork cut should I use to make Japanese Tonjiru Miso Soup?
Any type of pork belly should we find to use for this recipe. I always use skinless thick or thin cut pork belly.
Do you have any tips or tricks for making this Japanese Pork Miso Soup recipe?
- Don’t let the miso soup boil or it will lose some of the flavor. Just heat until hot.
- If you’re short of time, you can use hondashi to make the soup stock.
- Sprinkle some Togarashi (Japanese ground chili pepper) to give it some spice.
- For a more hearty soup, add konjac block and fresh shiitake mushrooms.
- Double the batch and freeze the leftovers for another day.
If you’re looking for other Japanese soup recipes to try, here is our recommendation!
- Keto Beef Udon
- Keto immi Black Garlic Chicken Ramen
- Japanese Chicken Soup – Ozoni
- Japanese Chicken Soup
- Dango Meatball Soup
- Full Collection of Asian Soup Recipes
Now let’s get making this Japanese Pork Miso Soup recipe!
- Prepping Time 10M
- Cook Time 20M
- Total Time 30M
- Net Carb/Serv ~7g
- Servings 4-5
Ingredients
- 6 Cups of Dashi
- 1 1/2 lb Slice of Pork Belly (the Costco one is about 10″ in length)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Inch Ginger
- 1/4 Whole Burdock Root Gobo (about 6 inches)
- 1 Whole Carrot
- 1/2 Whole Onion
- 1 Stalk Green Onion
- 2 Inch Japanese Radish (Daikon)
- 1/4 Box of Tofu (about 3.5oz)
- 8oz Shirataki Noodles
- 5 1/2 tbsp Miso
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Make 6 Cups of Dashi. Set on simmer and hold aside.
3) In the meantime, peel the skin off the Japanese radish, cut into small cubes about 1″ x 1″ and place in a bowl of water.
4) Cut pork belly into slices that are about 1/2 inch thick and set aside.
5) Grate ginger and set aside.
6) In a frying pan, add 1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil and grated ginger on high heat. Heat until fragment and then add sliced pork pelly. Cook until browned on all sides and transfer to a holding plate.
7) Prepare all the ingredients by dicing onions, slicing carrots and burdock root into 1/4″ slices, cutting tofu into 1/2″ cubes, and finely chopping green onions. Set all aside.
8) Prepare Shirataki Noodles by straining prepacked liquid and washing noodles under cold water. Set aside in a bowl.
9) In a large stove top pot, add 1 tbsp Sesame Oil on high heat. Next add carrots, burdock root and onions. Mix and cook for 1 minute.
10) Next, add the cooked pork belly and Dashi from step 2). Strain the water from Japanese radish and add into the stove top pot. Bring the soup to a boil and once boiling, lower heat to low/simmer and cover 7/8 way to allow for venting. Cook for 20 minutes.
11) After 20 minutes has passed, add tofu and Shirataki Noodles, cook for another 3 minutes partially covered.
12) Inside a strainer, add Miso and mix into water to dissolve (never boil Miso as it will lose its umami flavor). Transfer soup to a serving bowl and top with green onion.
Hope you enjoy your Japanese Tonjiru Pork Miso Soup!
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Tonjiru Pork Miso Soup
Ingredients
- 6 Cups Dashi
- 1 1/2 lb Pork Belly
- 1 1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Inch Ginger
- 1/4 Whole Burdock Root
- 1 Whole Carrot
- 1/2 Whole Onion
- 1 Stalk Green Onion
- 1 Small Japanese Radish Daikon
- 1/4 Box Tofu about 3.5oz
- 8 oz Shirataki Noodles
- 5 1/2 tbsp Miso
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Make 6 Cups of Dashi. Set on simmer and hold aside.
- In the meantime, peel the skin off the Japanese radish, cut into small cubes about 1" x 1" and place in a bowl of water.
- Cut pork belly into slices that are about 1/2 inch thick and set aside.
- Grate ginger and set aside.
- In a frying pan, add 1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil and grated ginger on high heat. Heat until fragment and then add sliced pork pelly. Cook until browned on all sides and transfer to a holding plate.
- Prepare all the ingredients by dicing onions, slicing carrots and burdock root into 1/4" slices, cutting tofu into 1/2" cubes, and finely chopping green onions. Set all aside.
- Prepare Shirataki Noodles by straining prepacked liquid and washing noodles under cold water. Set aside in a bowl.
- In a large stove top pot, add 1 tbsp Sesame Oil on high heat. Next add carrots, burdock root and onions. Mix and cook for 1 minute.
- Next, add the cooked pork belly and Dashi from step 2). Strain the water from Japanese radish and add into the stove top pot. Bring the soup to a boil and once boiling, lower heat to low/simmer and cover 7/8 way to allow for venting. Cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes has passed, add tofu and Shirataki Noodles, cook for another 3 minutes partially covered.
- Inside a strainer, add Miso and mix into water to dissolve (never boil Miso as it will lose its umami flavor). Transfer soup to a serving bowl and top with green onion.
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I’ve think I found the ramen fix ? you guys are amazing
Hey Foodie! Tonjiru is my and my father-in-laws favorite soup! It’s much less salty than miso ramen and much more creamy and light. If you’re strict keto, just make sure to limit the amount of root vegetables you use to avoid racking up the carbs. This soup is really good though! Wish more people knew about it!
I had a craving for Ramen in this cold weather. I can’t wait to make this dish! Thanks!
Hey Elaine! For sure! We just had it the other night and hands down one of our favorite soups to have during the colder months! Also, if you’re looking for an ramen dish, check out – https://www.lowcarbingasian.com/keto-immi-black-garlic-chicken-ramen/