Instant Pot Tonjiru

1. Gather all the ingredients.

To Prepare the Ingredients

1. Cut 2 Yukon gold potatoes into slabs ¼ inch (6 mm) thick and then cut into sticks. Soak the potatoes in water to remove the starch, for about 15 minutes.
2. Cut 1 onion into thin slices.
3. Peel and cut 2 inches daikon radish into slabs ¼ inch (6 mm) thick and then cut into sticks.
4. Cut 1 carrot in half lengthwise, then cut into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices.
5. Scrape the skin of 1 gobo (burdock root) with the back of the knife. Gobo has a delicious earthy taste right below the skin; therefore, you do not use a peeler to peel off the soft skin. Cut the gobo in half lengthwise.
6. Thinly slice the gobo diagonally. Soak in water for 15 minutes to get rid of the bitter taste. Optional: Add a dollop of vinegar to the water to make the gobo white.
7. Cut 4.5 oz konnyaku (konjac) into ¼-inch (6-mm) slabs, then cut into sticks.
8. Blanch the konnyaku in boiling water for 3 minutes to remove the smell. Drain konnyaku with a sieve.
9. Cut ½ lb pork belly slices into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces. Tip: If you freeze the meat for about ½ hour ahead of time, it is much easier to cut.

To Cook

1. All the ingredients should be ready to go.
2. Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot and heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil.
3. When the oil is hot, add the onion and coat with the oil. Then add the meat and stir to combine.
4. Add all the vegetables and konnyaku.
5. Stir to combine and then add in 6 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) last.
6. The dashi should cover the ingredients. If not, then add more dashi (or water). Tip: The vegetables will release moisture, so don’t worry if you feel there is not enough soup at this stage.
7. Press Cancel to stop the Saute menu. Close the lid and press the Manual or Pressure Cook menu. Then set to High pressure for 1 minute. Make sure the steam release handle points at Sealing and not Venting. The float valve goes up when pressurized.
8. While the ingredients in the soup are being cooked, you can cut the green onions and set aside.
9. When it’s finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Let the pressure release naturally for 30 minutes. If the valve hasn’t dropped yet, then quick release the pressure (be careful and cover your fingers with a mitten or kitchen towel).
10. Open the lid and check if the hard vegetables are tender.
11. Add 8 Tbsp miso. I used Hikari Miso Enjuku Koji Miso.
12. Dissolve the miso in a ladle before releasing it to the soup. Make sure to taste the miso soup. If you added too much miso, add dashi (or water) to dilute. If it’s not enough, add more miso ½ Tbsp at a time.

To Serve

1. Pour the Tonjiru in a big bowl. Chop 2 green onions/scallions and sprinkle on top. Serve immediately. You can sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) or add a dollop of yuzu kosho (Japanese citrus chili paste) for a spicy kick.

To Store

1. Let cool completely and store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. When you reheat, make sure not to over boil the miso soup. Tip: The best way to store miso soup is actually to store the soup BEFORE adding miso. You can take out the portion you will need into another pot and then add miso to taste. That way, you will always have the best tasting miso soup every time.