Kenchin-jiru

A soup of root vegetables and tofu, sautéed in oil before simmering. Its origins are debated: one theory traces the name to kenchan, a Chinese Buddhist vegetarian dish, another to the kencho-jiru of Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura. The temple is said to have eaten it for more than 700 years, with monks spreading it across Japan. The tofu is explained by a story that the temple's founding abbot picked up tofu a novice had dropped, washed it, and put it in the soup. As temple food it uses no animal ingredients, and the stock is made from kombu and shiitake. It is still served at Kenchoji's Setsubun festival every February.

Ingredients

• Red daikon
• Carrot
• Burdock root
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Japanese leek
• Tofu
• Oil

How I made it

1. Peel and cut the red daikon; slice the burdock thin and soak it in water; cut the carrot
2. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the burdock, carrot and daikon
3. Add the shiitake and leek, simmer, crumble in the tofu by hand, and ladle into bowls

Sources: maff.go.jp