Tonjiru (Pork and Vegetable Miso Soup)

Servings: 3

Ingredients
150g pork belly, thinly sliced, cut into bite-size pieces
600ml dashi stock
2 tbsp miso

Vegetables
100g daikon (white radish), quartered and sliced 7mm thick
100g carrots, halved and sliced 7mm thick
1/2 konnyaku block, halved lengthwise and sliced 7mm thick
100g potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
40g burdock, thinly sliced or shredded
2 shallot (scallion) stems, chopped into 2.5cm lengths

Garnish (optional)
the white part of shallots (scallions)
Shichimi tōgarashi (Japanese spice mixture)

Instructions
Heat a saucepan with a dash of oil and sauté pork over high heat until the surface of the pork is cooked.
Add all the vegetables except shallots to the pan and sauté until the surface of the vegetables are cooked (surface becomes semi-transparent in the case of potatoes).
Add dashi stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through.
Add miso gradually, diluting into the soup. Add shallots, turn the heat up to medium-low and cook for a couple of minutes.
Serve hot soup into a standard bowl or a large soup bowl topped with julienned shallots if using accompanied by tōgarashi.