Kenchin Vegetable Soup
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There are many different types of Japanese soup for every meal and occasion, not just miso soup! When it’s frosty outside or you’re feeling under the weather, there’s nothing better than a warming and rich bowl of Kenchin Vegetable Soup. Originally made using only vegan ingredients as a staple of Buddhist temple cuisine, this healthy dish now has a wide variety of vartiations to suit both vegetarians and non-vegetarians a like. With daikon, taro potatoes, carrot and abura age fried tofu, it makes an ultra-satisfying side, or a great light meal packed full of healthy goodness.

3-4 people 15 minutes 15 minutes spend

Ingredients

• 200g Daikon
• 130g Taro Potatoes
• 90g Burdock
• 120g Carrot
• 2-3 Spring Onions
• 3 pieces Abura Age Fried Tofu
Soup Stock:
• 700ml Konbu Dashi
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp Mirin Rice Wine
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Dash of Sesame Oil
Suggested Drink: Organic Kukicha Roasted Twig Tea

How to prepare

Begin by peeling your daikon, burdock and carrot, then cut them into bite sized chunks. Next, slice your spring onions into approximately 3cm pieces.
Scrub the taro well with a vegetable brush, making sure any dirt is removed. Some people may experience mild skin irritation when exposed to raw taro. To avoid this, microwave the taro for 5 mins. before peeling and cutting in half.
In a bowl, soak the abura age in hot water to remove any excess oil, then slice into bite sized pieces.

Add the dashi, vegetables and abura age fried tofu to a pan and bring to boil. Add the soy sauce, mirin, salt and sesame oil, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and soft.
Serve and garnish with the spring onion. Enjoy with a warm cup of organic kukicha twig tea, naturally lower in caffeine than ordinary green tea, kukicha has a nutty flavour that is the perfect match with the rich umami flavour of the soup.

Tips and information

• If you want add an extra boost of umami flavour in your soup, try adding a sprinkle of sesame seeds or some shiitake mushrooms.
• It’s really easy to adjust the serving size of Kenchin Vegetable Soup depending on how hungry you are or how many people you want to feed. Other traditional ingredients you can try adding are chikuwa fish cakes or sliced konyaku yam cake to make it super satisfying!