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Japanese

Kenchin-jiru

Vegetarian

けんちん汁 · Kenchin-jiru

A hearty Japanese temple-style soup of root vegetables and crumbled tofu, first stir-fried in sesame oil and then simmered in a plant-based kombu and shiitake dashi seasoned with soy sauce.

Kenchin-jiru is a Japanese soup, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with toasted sesame oil, daikon and tofu. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
30 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 20 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
247

Ingredients

4 servings

For the dashi

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the kombu (opens in a new tab) and dried shiitake (opens in a new tab) in the water for at least 30 minutes. Lift out the kombu; squeeze and slice the mushrooms, keeping the soaking liquid as dashi.

    • 30 min

  2. Step 2

    Heat the sesame oil (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) and stir-fry the daikon (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab), burdock (opens in a new tab) and taro (opens in a new tab) for 3 minutes. Add the crumbled tofu (opens in a new tab) and mushrooms and stir-fry 2 minutes more.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Pour in the dashi and sake (opens in a new tab), bring to the boil and skim, then simmer gently until all the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

    • 18 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Season with soy sauce (opens in a new tab) and salt, simmer 2 minutes, then serve topped with spring onion (opens in a new tab) and a pinch of chilli.

    • 2 min
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan · Commonly attributedIts name is popularly linked to Kenchō-ji, a Zen temple in Kamakura, and it belongs to the Buddhist vegetarian shōjin ryōri tradition.More food from Japan
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups
Cooking method
Stir-fried, Simmered
Taste
umami, earthy, savoury, nutty
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Low-fat · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Toasted sesame oil · Daikon · Tofu · Kombu (dried kelp) · Shiitake mushrooms · Carrot
Techniques
Stir-frying · Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce
  • Contains: Soyfrom tofu, soy sauce
  • Contains: Sesamefrom toasted sesame oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

247 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 560 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 24%
  • Carbohydrate 40%
  • Fat 36%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy247 kcal44 kcal
Protein15.8 g2.8 g
Carbohydrate25.8 g4.6 g
Net carbohydrate19.2 g3.4 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.6 g1.2 g
Fat10.3 g1.8 g
Saturated fat1.5 g0.3 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium811 mg145 mg
Salt equivalent2 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
830 mg
Calcium
606 mg
Iron
3.1 mg
Magnesium
100 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
17 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
68 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: red chilli flakes.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Konnyaku (konjac), torn into pieces, is a classic addition.
  • Stir-frying the vegetables first is what distinguishes kenchin-jiru from plainer miso soups.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling hard after the soy sauce goes in — it dulls the aroma; season at the end and simmer only briefly.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days chilled and tastes even better the next day.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently until steaming.

Variations

  • Miso kenchin-jiru: Some regions finish the soup with miso instead of soy sauce.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Daikon, cut into thin quarter-moons200 g
  • Carrot, cut into thin half-moons1 piece · 60 g
  • Burdock root, scrubbed, shaved thinly and soaked in water100 g
  • Taro, peeled and cut into chunks200 g
  • Tofu, firm, pressed and crumbled by hand300 g
Used in step 2

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