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 4 as a starter, or 2 as a main
20g pearl barley, cooked (see instructions) 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…
