Originally created as Buddhist temple cuisine, Kenchinjiru (Japanese Vegetable Soup) is a clear soup cooked with root vegetables, tofu, shiitake, and kombu stock. It’s a well-balanced and flavorful soup for a meatless meal on a cold night. {Vegan}
If you live on the east coast of the US and currently experiencing bone-chilling weather, I thought a nice hot bowl of hearty vegetable soup will warm you up. This soup is called Kenchinjiru (けんちん汁) and it’s a clear soup made with root vegetables and tofu.
What is Kenchinjiru?
Kenjinjiru or sometimes spelled as Kenchin-jiru (“jiru” means soup in Japanese) derived its name “Kenchin” from “Kencho” – the Zen Buddhist temple, Kencho-ji (建長寺) in Kamakura.
The original Kenchinjiru was considered as a shōjin ryōri (精進料理) or traditional Buddhist temple cuisine, which consists of a vegetarian or vegan diet. While most Japanese cooking requires fish-base stock “dashi“, this soup uses kombu and shiitake mushrooms to flavor the soup.
The Key Ingredients in Kenchinjiru
Although you can use any vegetables, the typical ingredients include different kinds of root vegetables. Among them, I feel gobo and daikon are important ingredients to add flavors and textures to the soup. Both ingredients are easily accessible in Asian supermarkets if there aren’t any Japanese grocery stores around you. Both Chinese and Korean cuisines use them, so try those grocery stores as well.
When you watch the video or see my step-by-step pictures, you might wonder why I cut konnyaku with a spoon and tear tofu with my fingers instead of using a knife. I learned these techniques from my mom. When you cut konnyaku with a spoon, it increases the surface area which creates a higher rate of absorption. The same thing goes with tofu. By creating more surface area for the tofu, it absorbs more flavors as well. Using the same logic, I stir-fry the tofu a little bit in sesame oil to get a nice coating on them.
Other Variations of Kenchinjiru
Originally, the soup is a clear soup made with soy sauce; however, you can also make it with miso, especially if you prefer a bolder flavor for your soup.
Of course, you can add chicken or pork as well. Although I love Tonjiru, a miso soup with pork and vegetable and it’s my favorite kind of miso soup, I like my Kenchinjiru to be very simple with just vegetables without meat. Despite being a vegetarian soup, it is full of flavors from all the vegetables and dashi. There are crunchy root vegetables like gobo, daikon, and carrot, and soft and tender satoimo (taro). Lastly, shiitake mushrooms and tofu suck up all the flavors from the soup and you get to enjoy the delicate flavors as you bite into them.
This hearty soup has plenty of flavors going on, just like a stew. I hope you enjoy this soup!
If you are interested in other healthy Japanese recipes, check out 12 Easy & Healthy Japanese Recipes.
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Kenchinjiru
Video
Ingredients
For the Vegan Dashi
- 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) (4 x 4 inches, 10 x 10 cm per piece)
- 5 cups water (for the kombu)
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup water (for the shiitake)
For the Soup
- 7 oz firm tofu (½ 14-oz block)
- ½ package konnyaku (konjac) (4.6 oz, 130 g)
- 7 oz daikon radish (2 inches, 5 cm)
- 3.5 oz carrot (1 medium)
- 3 pieces taro (satoimo)
- 3.5 oz gobo (burdock root) (½ gobo)
For the Seasonings
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 Tbsp sake
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
For the Garnish
- 2 green onions/scallions
- shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (optional)
- Japanese sansho pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- The Previous Night: Gently clean 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) with a damp towel. NEVER wash kombu and do not remove the white powder (that’s where the umami flavor is). These days, kombu is pretty clean. Soak the kombu in 5 cups water overnight. If you don’t have time, skip soaking and go to the next step.
- The Next Day: Slowly bring the kombu and water to a boil. Right before the water boils, remove and discard the kombu. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
- Put 3 dried shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup water. Place a smaller bowl on top to keep the mushrooms submerged.
- Wrap 7 oz firm tofu with a paper towel and place it on a plate. Put another plate on top to press the tofu. Drain for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut ½ package konnyaku (konjac) into bite-size pieces. You can use a spoon to cut the konnyaku. By giving the konnyaku an uneven texture, the surface will absorb more flavor. Then, boil for 2–3 minutes to get rid of the odor. Drain the water and set it aside.
- Peel 7 oz daikon radish, 3.5 oz carrot, and 3 pieces taro (satoimo). Cut the daikon in quarters lengthwise and the carrot in half lengthwise. Slice them thinly crosswise so they will cook faster. Cut the satoimo into about ¼-inch (6-mm) slices and soak in water to get rid of the slimy texture.
- Scrape the skin off 3.5 oz gobo (burdock root) with the back of a knife under running water. Cut in half lengthwise and thinly slice diagonally. Soak in water for 5 minutes and drain.
- When the shiitake mushrooms are soft and hydrated, squeeze out the liquid and set aside the mushrooms. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to get rid of any particles. You now have shiitake dashi. Set it aside.
- Remove and discard the stems of the shiitake mushrooms and cut the caps into quarters.
To Cook the Kenchinjiru
- Heat a large pot and add 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil. Sauté the daikon, carrot, taro (satoimo), gobo (burdock root), and konnyaku until the oil coats the ingredients.
- Then, add the shiitake mushrooms. Tear the tofu with your fingers and add to the pot. (If you are using silken tofu, use a knife to cut and add it right before serving.) Tofu will absorb more flavor when it is torn by hand. Sauté until all the ingredients are coated with the oil.
- Add the shiitake dashi and kombu dashi. Bring it to a boil.
- Turn down the heat to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, skimming occasionally. Use a fine-mesh strainer to skim the foam and scum on the surface. Tip: Fill a measuring cup with water and clean the strainer in it. Change the water when it gets dirty.
- After 10 minutes, add 3 Tbsp sake and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and continue to cook until the vegetables are all tender. Finally, add 2 Tbsp soy sauce.
To Serve
- Right before serving, thinly slice 2 green onions/scallions. Serve the soup and garnish with scallion. Sprinkle with optional shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) and Japanese sansho pepper, if you like it spicy.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container or the pot and store in the refrigerator for 2–3 days.
Hi there Nami,
is there a substitute for sesame oil? What to do if you discover that you’re out of sesame oil and got no time to buy one in time for the meal? Could it be replaced by another oil and sesame seeds? They could be roasted. I yet got no mortar, so I couldn’t make sesame paste, but I always got harina in my fridge. When I think about it, there is always some oil above, I could use this. But there is no guarantee that I can make it taste roasted, guess this doesn’t work. With the harina perhaps could work, but then there is no oil. Hm.
You could think of a soluccion? I wanted to post it in your article about sesame oil, but there are no comments.
Thank you!
Hello, Anna! Thank you for taking the time to read Nami’s post!
The most suitable way to replace sesame oil is to roast sesame seeds in vegetable oil to increase the flavor of the oil. However, depending on the recipe, this may not be necessary.
For example, in this Kenchinjiru dish, you can simply replace the sesame oil with another neutral oil and season with ground sesame if preferred.
Here is a list of recommended neutral oils. We hope this helps!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/best-neutral-oil-for-cooking/
This is really good! But I love soup in general so it’s easy for me to enjoy. I used western sweet potato as that’s what I had. It didn’t fall apart, but it was definitely softer than the daikon and other vegetables. Next time if I use it again I’ll add the western sweet potato later in the cooking. The sichimi togarashi was a perfect touch for serving. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Marlene, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
Made this tonight, not expecting to be a big fan since I really don’t care for soups much! I liked it! I actually found all the ingredients except for the burdock, but it didn’t matter at all. Thank you for a new addition to my Japanese recipe files!
Hi Debra! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed the Kenchinjiru. 🙂
Happy Cooking!
Hiya! I’m just wondering if gobo root is supposed to be so slimy. I live in the UK so I got mine from a local Asian grocery and I’m hoping the sliminess is normal as I’ve never cooked it before. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Hi Toni! No, the gobo is not a slimy root vegetable at all. Was it kept in the bag? Was it moist inside the bag? If so, it could develop sliminess, just like how other vegetables would in such conditions.
Hello, perhaps you bough Chinese yam? When I was first time looking for gobo I almost bought Chinese yam as it looked so similar. And achieve yam is slimy. If it is Chinese yam, you can use it in souls next time.
[…] Kenchinjiru (Vegetable Soup) […]
I love this soup recipe but I tried it without the taro and konnyaku coz I could not find the taro here and I personally don’t like konnyaku much. I added enoki mushroom Not sure the difference in the taste but I still enjoyed the soup with a hot bowl of rice. Thank you so much for the great recipe.
Hi Indy! We are glad to hear you love this recipe!
If you can’t find the Taro, Potato would work well too. As for Enoki, if you don’t add too much, it shouldn’t make much difference in the taste.
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe! 🤗
Nami-san: Yes. I tried this recipe yesterday. It was delight for the cold weather. I didn’t have GOBO. I substituted it with Lotus root. I didn’t have konjac. I tried making one using potato; it was a failure. it dissolved into the soup totally 🙂 I will explore more. but lovely recipe. I never knew that these root veggies can create such lovely soup. cheers
Hi Raj! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Nami and all of us at JOC are so happy to hear you enjoyed root vegetables!
Homemade Konnyaku sounds amazing too.😊
Hi Nami! I’m so excited I found this recipe. When I lived in Yamaguchi years ago I took a cooking class and learned a local dish call ‘Kencho’ that was simmered root vegetables with hand-torn tofu, but it was more of a stew or simmered side dish, less of a soup. We ate it with rice, in the same way we ate curry rice. Do you think it was originally Kenchinjiru and in the Yamaguchi region became the Kencho that I learned?
Hi Mia, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
The Kencho is local dishes of Yamaguchi Prefecture and also one of Shōjin ryōri (精進料理) or traditional Buddhist temple cuisine, just like this Kenchinjiru. So it may have some connection through the temple, but the relationship between the two is currently unknown.
Thank you for sharing your thought! It’s interesting…
This soup was so comforting! Reminded me of soups my mom made when I was young. Thank you so much; this will be a keeper for me. With the togarashi, it was perfect!
Hi Dorothy,
Aww… we are so happy to hear it tasted like your mom’s homemade soup, and you enjoyed it.
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
Hi Nami,
Do you have any recommendations for replacing Burdock root? I cannot find it where I live..
Thanks!
Hi Jeannie! Burdock root is a very unique root vegetable with texture and taste, so there is no good substitute to replace that. However, if you have any other good root vegetables, let’s say lotus root, etc, it would be okay to add. Otherwise, you can skip. 🙂
Hello, Nami,
Hope your shoulder is better. I made this recipe, added lotus root & bamboo shoots :). It was very tasty. However, when boiling the konyaku (as suggested-very worthwhile) something unexpected happened: my new aluminum pan turned VERY dark where the water had been. Please–is there a way to remove the darkness in my pan? Will it effect food if it stays dark? I’m afraid to cook with this brand new pan:(. I would be most grateful for any advice re: the darkened pan.
With kindness & respect,
Frances
Hi Frances! Thanks so much for trying my recipe, and I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Now about your brand new pan!!! I just googled and found out that konnyaku uses alkaline as a coagulant. When alkaline food is cooked in an aluminum pan, the aluminum reacts and aluminum hydroxide adheres, and the calcium and other minerals contained in the aluminum hydroxide become fixed (?), which darkens the pan.
To solve this issue, put water in the saucepan, add vinegar and boil. Or simmer apple peels and core. Or brush the pan with lemon flesh (cut in half and brush). You make a tomato dish in the pot. Or boil water and citric acid. It’ll go back to the brand new pot! 🙂
Can i substitute satoimo with nagaimo in this recipe?
Hi Niss! Sure! Remember that Nagaimo’s texture is different so it’s more like a new addition to the soup, instead of a substitute. 🙂
If you want, you can swap the salt for 1 1/2 tbsp of miso paste! It works wonders. Love your recipe Nami!
Hi Cassandra! Thank you for sharing your tip and for your kind words! xo