Japanese Pork Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound pork butt (or pork belly) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 cups water
• one 4-square inch piece of kombu, wiped
• one 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and cut into 8 rounds
• 8 ounces satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato), peeled and cut into 1/2- inch cubes
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• one 10-inch length of gobo (burdock root), shredded
• 1/2 onion, sliced 2 tablespoons mirin 1/4 cup miso (white or red) 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• hot cooked short-grain sushi rice, for serving

Instructions

1. 1
   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil; add the pork. Stir for about a minute. Drain the meat in a colander and rinse it thoroughly with cold water. This step removes impurities and excess fat from the meat, which gives the soup a cleaner flavor.
2. 2
   Add the pork, 6 cups of water, kombu and ginger to a clean, large pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours. Remove the kombu and ginger. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots, gobo, onion and mirin. Continue to cook until the carrots are tender, about 1 hour.
3. 3
   Reduce the heat to low. Add the miso, stirring well to dissolve completely but taking care not to mash the vegetables. Taste the soup and add more miso if it needs more salt. Add the scallions. Serve in soup bowls with a separate bowl of rice for each person.