Zen Temple Vegetable Soup (けんちん汁, Kenchin-jiru)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Donabe or wide heavy pot
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta), or a circle of parchment if using a wide pot
• •Small saucepan for blanching konnyaku

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the dashi

   Very lightly wipe the konbu with a damp cloth if it has grit, but don't scrub it clean. Put the konbu, dried shiitake, and cold water in a pot and soak for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator if you planned ahead. Cold water draws out the kelp and mushroom flavor slowly and cleanly; hurry it with hard heat and the stock tastes flat before the soup has begun.

   The pale powder on konbu is not dirt. It is part of the flavor you bought.
2. 2

   Finish the dashi

   Set the pot over low heat and warm it slowly. When the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides, lift out the konbu before the surface rolls. Let the shiitake stay in the hot liquid for 5 minutes more, then lift them out, strain the dashi if you see grit, trim off the tough stems, and slice the caps. Boiled konbu gives bitterness and a slick mouthfeel; the shiitake can take the heat and will return to the pot as part of the soup.

3. 3

   Cut the roots

   Scrub the gobō rather than peeling it bare, because much of its clean earthiness sits just under the skin. Slice it thinly on the diagonal and soak it in fresh water for 5 minutes, then drain. Cut the daikon, carrot, and satoimo so each will become tender at the same time: daikon in quarter-moons, carrot a little thinner, satoimo in thicker pieces. If the satoimo feels very slippery, rub it with a pinch of salt and rinse it; that surface starch can cloud the broth.

4. 4

   Ready the tofu

   Tear the tofu into bite-size pieces with your hands. Tear the konnyaku the same way, then boil it in plain water for 2 minutes and drain. Ragged surfaces catch broth better than neat cubes, and the quick boil clears the konnyaku's alkaline smell before it enters the soup.

   A little irregularity is useful here. The soup tastes more seasoned when the surfaces are not too smooth.
5. 5

   Sauté the tofu

   Warm the sesame oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the torn tofu and cook gently for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once or twice, until the water hisses away and the edges begin to firm. This is not browning for show; it gives the broth body and keeps the tofu from tasting watery.

6. 6

   Sauté the vegetables

   Add the gobō and sliced shiitake first and stir for 1 minute, then add the daikon, carrot, satoimo, and konnyaku. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, just until the surfaces glisten and the sesame oil smells nutty. You are waking the roots, not roasting them. Too much color would pull the soup away from its clean temple character.

7. 7

   Simmer gently

   Pour in the strained dashi and bring it to a quiet simmer. Skim off any foam, then cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until the daikon is translucent at the edges and the satoimo yields to a skewer without falling apart. If the vegetables bob above the broth in a wide pot, lay on a wooden drop-lid, or a circle of parchment with a small center hole, so they stay under the liquid without stirring.

   Stirring breaks tender roots. A drop-lid does the patient work for you.
8. 8

   Season the broth

   Add the soy sauce and salt, then simmer for 3 minutes more. Seasoning late keeps the soy's fragrance clear and lets you judge the broth after the vegetables have given it their sweetness. Taste once. It should be savory and quiet, not salty enough to shout over the rice.

9. 9

   Rest and serve

   Turn off the heat and let the soup rest for 10 minutes before serving. The roots drink a little broth as they sit, and the pot becomes rounder for it. Ladle into bowls with a few pieces of each vegetable and tofu visible, then finish with a strip of yuzu peel or a small sprig of mitsuba if you have them. Leave the bowl some room.

Chef Tips

• •Choose the roots as though they were the seasoning, because here they are. Daikon should feel heavy and tight-skinned, gobō should be firm and fragrant, and satoimo should be small, firm, and not sprouting. If the roots are tired, the soup tells on you. Nothing hidden.
• •Don't add bonito to this pot. Konbu and dried shiitake are not a lesser stock here; they are the temple logic of the dish. Instant powder gives salt and noise when what you want is quiet depth.
• •Tear the tofu and konnyaku by hand. Cubes look tidy, but torn surfaces catch the broth and taste better. This is one of those places where neatness loses.
• •If you cannot find satoimo, leave it out and add more daikon or carrot. A potato will make a pleasant vegetable soup, but it will not give the same slippery-cream texture, so know what has changed.
• •Kenchin-jiru improves after a rest. Make it in the afternoon for the evening table, or the day before for a holiday meal, and add the yuzu or mitsuba only at the end.

Advance Preparation

• •Soak the konbu and dried shiitake overnight in the refrigerator for a gentler, fuller dashi. Warm it slowly the next day and remove the konbu before the water boils.
• •The finished soup keeps for 2 days refrigerated. Reheat it gently and stop before a hard boil, which roughens the tofu and clouds the broth.
• •Cut gobō and satoimo the day you cook. Gobō loses its fragrance in a long soak, and peeled satoimo becomes slippery if it sits too long.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 540g)