Kenchinjiru Tofu Vegetable Soup Buddhist

Ingredients

• For the kombu-shiitake dashi
• 10 g dried kombu, wiped clean with a damp cloth
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in cold water until fully rehydrated, soaking liquid reserved
• 1 litre cold water
• 1 medium stalk gobo (burdock root), scrubbed, cut into 1–2 cm irregular pieces, held in cold water to prevent browning
• 1 medium carrot, peeled, cut into 1–2 cm pieces
• 150 g daikon, peeled, cut into 1–2 cm pieces
• 2 satoimo (taro), peeled, cut into 1–2 cm pieces
• 100 g konnyaku, torn by hand into irregular 1–2 cm pieces
• 1 sheet aburaage (thin fried tofu), briefly blanched to remove excess oil, cut into 1–2 cm strips
• 300 g firm tofu (momen), hand-crumbled into irregular pieces; not knife-cut
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• Seasoning
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp salt, to adjust at the finish

Method

1. 1
   Combine the kombu and rehydrated shiitake with 1 litre of cold water in a saucepan. Bring slowly to just below a simmer over medium-low heat — do not boil. Remove the kombu before bubbles fully break the surface. Allow the shiitake to steep a further 5 minutes, then remove and reserve. Add the strained shiitake soaking liquid. The dashi is ready when it is clear, pale amber, and carries a clean marine-fungal aroma.
2. 2
   Heat the sesame oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the drained gobo first — it requires the longest contact with the oil — then add the carrot, daikon, satoimo, and konnyaku in quick succession. Stir-fry, turning the pieces regularly, until the edges of the gobo show the first faint colour and the pot carries a distinct toasted, nutty aroma. This is where the dish lives or dies: the Maillard and caramelization reactions built here define kenchinjiru's depth against any ordinary vegetable soup — do not rush or skip this stage.
3. 3
   Add the hand-crumbled tofu and the aburaage to the pot. Continue to stir-fry briefly until the tofu surfaces are lightly dried and have absorbed some of the sesame oil. The tofu should no longer appear wet and glossy.
4. 4
   Pour the prepared dashi over the stir-fried ingredients. Add sake and mirin. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, until the satoimo is fully tender throughout and the broth has taken on a light, starchy body from the root vegetables — approximately 15 minutes. Test the satoimo with a skewer: it should meet no resistance.
5. 5
   Add the soy sauce, stir once, and taste. Adjust salt if necessary. The seasoning should be restrained — the broth clean and savoury, with the sesame oil and gobo providing complexity rather than any single flavour dominating. Serve immediately in deep bowls.