Buta Jiru-Style Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup Bowl

About This Recipe

Buta jiru, or tonjiru, is a thick, hearty miso soup built around thin-sliced pork and root vegetables — a dish that goes far beyond the delicate miso soup served alongside sushi and functions instead as a full meal in Japanese homes, especially in colder months. It's traditionally served with a bowl of rice on the side, and this recipe leans into that by serving it as a rice bowl, ladling the soup generously over short-grain rice. The technique that defines good buta jiru is building layers: aromatics and pork are browned first to render fat and develop flavor, root vegetables like daikon and carrot are simmered until tender but not falling apart, and miso is whisked in only at the very end off direct heat, which preserves its aroma and keeps the broth from turning bitter. What results is a substantial, warming bowl — savory pork, sweet root vegetables, and a deeply savory miso broth soaked into a mound of rice, finished with sharp scallions for contrast.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 350 gpork shoulder(thinly sliced)
• 1 tbspneutral oil
• 1onion(thinly sliced)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspfresh ginger(grated)
• 1 cupdaikon radish(peeled, half-moons)
• 1carrot(half-moons)
• 1potato(peeled, cubed)
• 5 cupsdashi
• 4 tbspmiso(red or awase)
• 4 cupscooked short-grain rice
• 3scallions(sliced)
• 1 tsptoasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the pork

   Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add pork slices and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned but not fully cooked through.

2. 2

   Cook the aromatics

   Add onion, garlic, and ginger to the pot and cook 3-4 minutes until the onion softens and turns translucent.

3. 3

   Simmer the vegetables

   Add daikon, carrot, and potato along with dashi. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 18-20 minutes until the vegetables are fork-tender.

4. 4

   Whisk in the miso off heat

   Turn off the heat. Ladle a bit of hot broth into a small bowl, whisk in the miso until smooth, then stir the miso mixture back into the pot.

   Never boil the soup after the miso goes in — high heat destroys the fermented flavor and aroma miso is prized for, turning the broth flat and slightly bitter.

5. 5

   Assemble the bowls

   Divide rice among four deep bowls. Ladle the hot pork and vegetable miso soup generously over the rice, drizzle with sesame oil, and top with scallions. Serve immediately while hot.

Variations

• •

  Swap pork for thinly sliced chicken thigh for a lighter version of the soup.

• •

  Add a handful of sliced burdock root (gobo) with the other vegetables for extra earthiness, a common traditional addition.

• •

  Make it vegetarian using a kombu-shiitake dashi and cubed firm tofu in place of pork.

Storage

Refrigerate soup (without rice) up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently on the stove without boiling, and cook or reheat rice separately just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions