PP or PS Kenchin-Jiru with Miso

Chef:  Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Makes:  Serves 6-8
Presoak:  8 hrs (Kombu & Shiitake)
Prep Time:  1 hr
Cooking Time:  30 min
Total Time:  1 hr 30 min (not including presoak)

INGREDIENTS

Vegan dashi broth

• 1 4”x 4”  piece of Kombu seaweed
• 6-8 dried shiitake mushrooms
• Water

Rest of Soup Ingredients

• 3 taro (satimo), peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced in ¼” slices and place in water to prevent browning
• 1-8” daikon radish, halved lengthwise, sliced in ¼” slices
• 1 jicing carrot (or 2 regular), halved lengthwise, sliced in ¼” slices
• ½ burdock root (gobo), peeled, cut in slivers or shavings, place in water to prevent browning
• 1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
• 1 block firm tofu
• 1 block white or gray konnyaku (konjac)
• 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, quartered
• 1-2 t sea salt (optional)
• 2-3 Japanese green onion (negi) or 1 bunch scallion, greens and whites sliced
• 2 T fermented soy sauce
• 1/3 – ½ c red miso

Garnish

• Freshly toasted sesame seeds (PS if use sesame seeds)
• Schichimi togarashi (Japanese 7-spice seasoning)
• Sanscho pepper

DIRECTIONS

Vegan Dashi Broth 

1. In a separate glass or ceramic bowls separately soak kombu and dried shiitake in 6 c water each.
2. Cover with wrap and refrigerate overnight.
3. Discard Kombu, discard shiitake stems, quartered caps and reserve, strain stocks and combine.  

Soup

1. If using,dry sauté sesame seeds in a skillet until fragrant and lightly toasted.  Set aside.
2. Drain tofu, wrap in paper towels, weigh with a dinner plate to express excess moisture for 1.  
3. Tear into bite-sized pieces.
4. Rinse konnyaku well, boil for 3-4 minutes in water, drain. Tear into bite sized pieces.
5. Parboil taro for 5 minutes, skim as needed.
6. In a large pot bring the dashi broth to a low simmer.
7. In a stainless or nonstick skillet, dry sauté onion over medium-high heat, for 2-3 minutes. 
8.  
9. Add fresh shiitake and shiitake from the dashi, carrot, daikon, burdock and taro and sauté  3 minutes.  
10. Add konnyaku, tofu and salt.  Cook until veggies are not quite soft.  DO NOT OVERCOOK.
11. Add sautéed veggies to the dashi.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.  
12. Stir in green onion/scallion and cook 1 minute.
13. Remove from heat and stir in the soy sauce.

TIPS

1. If you are serving the entire soup at a sitting, place miso in a large ladle.  Submerse ladle partially into the pot with chopsticks or a spoon, dissolve the miso in the ladle’s hot soup. 
2. Add it to the pot, stirring gently to disperse it throughout.
3. Miso is a live, probiotic food, that will not survive reheating.  If you don’t plan to serve the entire pot, remove the portion of soup for your meal and adjust the quantity of miso accordingly. 

Cathy Katin-Gazzini, a seasoned plant-based nutritional coach and chef, teaches the profound health benefits of plant-based nutrition, without oil, by working with patients to prevent, treat and often reverse their chronic disease conditions through lifestyle counseling, group immersion programs and her empowering cooking classes.  Visit Cathy at cathyskitchenprescription.com, https://www.facebook.com/cathyskitchenprescription/, https://twitter.com/CathysKitchenRx and https://www.instagram.com/cathyskitchenprescription.