Kenchinjiru Vegetarian Buddhist Temple Soup

Ingredients

• For the kombu-shiitake dashi
• 10 g dried kombu, wiped clean with a damp cloth
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 1 litre cold water until fully rehydrated; soaking liquid reserved
• 150 g taro (satoimo), peeled, cut into rough irregular pieces
• 1 carrot, cut into rough irregular pieces
• 1 medium section burdock root (gobo), scrubbed, cut into rough diagonal pieces, held in cold water to prevent browning
• 150 g daikon, cut into rough irregular pieces
• 100 g konnyaku, hand-torn into rough pieces, briefly parboiled and drained
• 300 g firm tofu (momen), hand-broken into rough irregular pieces; not cut
• 4 fresh or rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps sliced or halved roughly
• 2 tbsp sesame oil, plus a few drops reserved for finishing
• 2 tbsp usukuchi (light soy sauce)
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 small bunch mitsuba (Japanese parsley), roughly chopped; added off heat just before serving

Method

1. 1
   Combine the kombu and the shiitake soaking liquid in a pot. Bring slowly to just below a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove the kombu before the liquid boils. Add the rehydrated shiitake caps, simmer gently for 10 minutes, then remove them (slice and reserve for the soup). The dashi is ready when it is pale amber, clear, and carries a clean marine-fungal aroma.
2. 2
   Heat a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil and allow it to become hot but not smoking. Add the gobo first and fry, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until fragrant and showing the first signs of golden colour at the edges — this is the foundational flavour of the soup. Add the carrot and taro and continue frying for 2–3 minutes further. The vegetables are ready at this stage when the kitchen carries a distinct toasted, nutty sesame-and-root aroma and the cut surfaces show visible browning.
3. 3
   Add the daikon and the sliced reserved shiitake caps to the pot. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until all surfaces are coated in oil and beginning to colour. Add the konnyaku pieces and stir briefly. The mix is ready when every piece glistens and the pot is uniformly fragrant.
4. 4
   Pour the prepared kombu-shiitake dashi over the vegetables. Bring to a gentle simmer. Add the hand-broken tofu pieces. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat until all vegetables are tender throughout — taro should yield completely to light pressure. The broth should remain clear and amber; if it clouds, reduce the heat immediately.
5. 5
   Season with usukuchi soy and salt, added gradually. Taste after each addition. The broth should be savoury and round with a clean finish; it must not darken noticeably. The colour criterion is the final check — the broth should remain a clear, pale amber when held to light.
6. 6
   Remove the pot from the heat. Add the reserved few drops of sesame oil and scatter the mitsuba over the surface. Serve immediately. The mitsuba is correct when it is bright green and releases a fresh herbal fragrance — any wilting or loss of colour indicates it has been added too early or the pot was too hot.