Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Japanese Vegetable Stew (Kenchin Jiru

I learned this dish from a friend and now we just love it.  The proportions I use assume that it is used as a opening soup course for 4.  I'd probably double or triple  and possibly add some diced chicken (at the beginning with the vegetables) it if it was going to be the star of the show. 

1 small carrot, peeled and cut into half rounds
1 medium onion, in medium large dice
1 medium potato peeled and cut into quarter rounds
1 T sesame oil
5 cups dashi broth, or chicken or vegetable broth or just water
4 T miso
1 tsp soy sauce
1 cake of firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 green onions, chopped

Saute carrots, onions, and potato in sesame oil for 1-2 minutes.  Add broth and bring to boil, skimming any scum off the surface.  Add 2 T of miso dissolved into a 1/2 cup of the broth.  Lower heat and simmer until vegetables are soft about 15 minutes.  Add the remaining miso (again dissolved in 1/2 cup of broth), soy sauce, and tofu. Simmer another minute or so.  Serve with green onions as a garnish.

We love this as part of a Japanese meal with Spinach with Sesame (Horenso no Goma ae) and Japanese rolled omelets and sticky rice.

In Detroit I get miso at a japanese grocery store, but am pretty sure you can get it at one of the higher end "gourmet" grocery stores.  Everything else is easily available at your local mega-mart.






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