Recipe of the week: chicken, root vegetable and pearl barley miso soup

One of my all-time favourite Japanese comfort foods is tonjiru, a hearty miso soup made with chunky root vegetables and slow-cooked pork, says Tim Anderson.

This recipe is based on that, but uses chicken instead of pork, for a lighter flavour, but with the same heart-warming effect. Like any good chicken soup, this one also works as a meal in and of itself.

Serves four as a starter, or two as a main

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Ingredients

• 20g pearl barley, cooked (see method)
• 1 chicken drumstick or thigh, boned, cut into 2.5cm chunks
• ½ an onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 5g fresh ginger root, peeled and finely shredded
• 600ml dashi or chicken stock
• 50g daikon, peeled and cut into wedges about 5mm thick, or radishes, washed and quartered
• 70-80g burdock, Jerusalem artichokes or parsnips, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into semi-circles about 5mm thick
• 60g miso
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• shichimi pepper or chilli oil, to taste (optional)

Method

• Cooking times for pearl barley seem to vary widely depending on what kind you buy, so it’s best to cook it ahead of time according to the package instructions. Once it’s done, rinse it under cold water and set aside.
• Place the chicken, onion, garlic, ginger and dashi (or stock) together in a saucepan and bring to a low boil. Use a small sieve or ladle to remove any scum that forms on the surface.
• Boil for about 15 minutes, then add the daikon (or radishes), burdock (or alternatives) and carrot, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes until the vegetables and chicken are very soft. Top up with dashi or stock (or water, if you’ve run out) periodically so the broth doesn’t reduce.
• Add the cooked pearl barley and simmer for a few minutes, then remove from the heat and whisk in the miso and spring onion.
• Serve hot with shichimi or chilli oil, if using.
• This should last four days in the refrigerator.

Taken from JapanEasy Bowls & Bento by Tim Anderson, published by Hardie Grant at £25. Photography by Laura Edwards. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £19.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.