Vegetable Chowder with Miso

This is a filling chowder with plenty of vegetables.  Miso is used instead of soy sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 cake momen tofu
• 140g (5 oz) thin-sliced pork
• 4 taros
• 6 raw shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 burdock root
• 80g (2 4/5 oz) carrot
• 1 scallion
• 1/2 block konnyaku
• 1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 cups dashi stock
• 4 Tbsp miso

Direction

1. Drain the tofu in a bamboo colander.  Peel the taros and rub them with salt to remove the slime.  Cut them into quarters and then slice them crosswise.  Shave the burdock root as if sharpening a pencil with a knife, and soak it in vinegar water.  Shave the carrot in the same way.  Trim the ends of the shiitake and cut them into four.  Cut the scallion into round slices.
     
2. Cut the konnyaku into thin slabs and boil.
     
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a pot and stir-fry the chopped pork, burdock root, carrot, konnyaku, taros in that order.  Add the tofu, breaking it up as you stir-fry.  Pour in the dashi stock.
     
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and skim the scum as it rises.  Add half of the miso and shiitake.  When it boils again, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Stir in the rest of the miso and add the scallion.  Simmer for another 1 to 2 minutes.