I can’t seem to stay away from the Just One Cookbook blog.  I so wanted to make this recipe Miso Soup with Yuzu Kosho that I made and refrigerated dashi stock to have on hand when I was ready.  I didn’t have the yuzu kosho seasoning (on order) but I was pretty confident that this soup would be fine without it.  I made one substitution and a minor adjustment but Namiko is an excellent cook and her recipes can just be “followed.”  I was hoping that she had published a big flashy cookbook with awesome pictures but, unfortunately, not yet.  Still, the blog is great!

If you have dashi stock on hand, this recipe comes together fairly quickly.  I substituted in bok choy for the cabbage because I had bok choy and didn’t have cabbage 🙂

I chopped and prepped everything before beginning to cook and that always makes for an enjoyable, stress free experience.

I remember being so unhappy and whining because I couldn’t find a whole or half pork belly, only slices.   Pork belly slices are ubiquitous in this region.  Now I know what the slices of pork belly are used for.  I can only think that there must be some closet Asian chefs around, secretly feasting on non-American cuisine with the shades pulled down 🙂

Dashi stock is very easy to make and needs only two ingredients.  However if you are hungry, in a hurry or just can’t be bothered, you can make the stock with dashi powder that you add to water.  I’ve used it, and though I think the homemade stock is best, the powder is not terrible.

Miso Soup with Pork Belly and Tofu

1 tbsp sesame oil

3-4 slices pork belly, large dice

1 leek, halved vertically and thinly sliced

1 tbsp sake

2 bok choy, halved vertically and thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

3 scallions, sliced

4 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

6 cups dashi stock

4 tbsp white miso

1 block silken firm tofu, cut into cubes

Heat the sesame oil in a donabe or a large deep skillet or wok.  Add the pork belly and saute until almost all the pink is gone.  Add the leek and continue to saute until the leek is just wilted.  Stir in the bok choy, carrot, scallions and mushrooms for about a minute.  Add the dashi stock, bring to a boil then turn off the flame.  Melt the miso into the stock, turn on the flame and add the tofu.  Just cook until the tofu is warm, about 4 minutes.