Surviving the Summer Heat with Tonjiru (pork miso soup) / 豚汁で夏を乗り切る

【English】

Lately, the scorching heat has been relentless.

With this kind of heat, it’s hard to even think of what to eat, and coming up with a menu feels like a daily struggle… On top of that, standing in the kitchen becomes such a chore, but last night, I mustered the energy to make tonjiru (pork miso soup). In our household, tonjiru is a winter staple for its warming qualities, but it turns out it’s also quite effective for preventing heatstroke!

At work, the heat has been so intense that some colleagues have taken time off due to heatstroke. We really need to be diligent about staying hydrated and replenishing salt. Tonjiru contains many ingredients rich in salt and minerals, which help replenish nutrients lost through sweat. Additionally, the umami from vegetables and pork encourages hydration, making it easier to naturally consume the water your body needs. It’s also said to be effective for preventing summer fatigue due to its nutrient-packed, well-balanced ingredients.

When making tonjiru, I try to pack it with as many ingredients as possible. Honestly, it’s partly because I want to avoid making extra side dishes… but in reality, a single bowl of tonjiru provides a variety of nutrients.

Last Night’s Ingredients:

・Pork
・Carrots
・Daikon radish
・Shiitake mushrooms
・Shimeji mushrooms
・Burdock root
・Konnyaku (solidified jelly made from the rhizome of devil's tongue)
・Tofu
・Green onions

Since last year, I have been using additive-free miso made with only soybeans, koji, and salt. Until then, I had been using miso with pre-mixed dashi broth, but one day the taste seemed too strong or unnatural, so I switched to additive-free miso and started using bonito flakes to make dashi. When I was a child, I saw my mother at home making dashi with bonito flakes every morning, and I thought, "That seems like a lot of trouble." But once I tried it myself, I realized that homemade dashi was undeniably delicious!

However, I am lazy by nature, so it was a hassle to throw away the dried bonito flakes after making dashi broth. While researching on the Internet, I found an advice that “dried bonito flakes are rich in protein, so you should eat them as a garnish for miso soup”. I have been following it ever since. Incidentally, when I told my mother about this, she has recently started doing so as well.

My family loves tonjiru, and everyone always has another bowl, so last night I made a big pot full of it.

This summer, my sons have a packed schedule. My elder son is preparing for a band competition with his school’s brass band, so he’ll be busy with daily club activities through the first half of summer vacation. My younger son is starting Kumon’s Writing Class (*)this week, where he’ll train to write neat characters with a pencil, and he’s also continuing the swimming lessons he began last April. We’re also planning to visit my parents’ home during the Obon holiday.

I’m not great with busy schedules and tend to feel a bit down when things pile up, but watching my kids enjoy their activities and expand their worlds from behind the scenes might just be a joy in itself .

The hot days will continue for a while, but I hope our family can stay healthy and make it through this summer! 💪💪☀️

*Kumon’s Writing Class (公文の書き方教室) is a program offered by Kumon, a well-known educational institution in Japan. It focuses on teaching children to write neat, well-formed Japanese characters using a pencil, emphasizing proper stroke order, penmanship, and composition skills to improve handwriting.

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【Japanese】

このところずっと、猛暑日が続いています。

こうも暑いと食べたいものも思いつかず、メニューを考えるのにも苦労する日々・・・加えて、キッチンに立つのが億劫になってしまいますが、昨夜は一念発起して豚汁を作りました。冬場に温まる料理として我が家ではよく豚汁を作りますが、実は熱中症予防にもかなり良いらしい！

職場でも、熱中症で欠勤する人が出るほどの暑さです。水分と塩分の補給には本当に気をつけなければなりません。豚汁には塩分やミネラルを含む具材が多く、汗で失われた栄養を補給するのに役立つとか。

また、野菜や豚肉から出る旨味が水分補給を促して、体に必要な水分を自然に摂りやすくなるのもポイント！具だくさんで栄養バランスが良く、夏バテ予防に効果的だと言われています。

豚汁を作るときは、私もなるべく具材をもりもりにします。極力、他におかずを作らなくてもいいように・・・というのが本音ですが、実際豚汁一杯で様々な栄養を摂れるので。

【昨夜の具材】

・豚肉
・人参
・大根
・椎茸
・しめじ
・ゴボウ
・こんにゃく
・豆腐
・ねぎ

味噌は昨年から、大豆と麹、塩だけで作られた無添加のものを使っています。それまではずっとだし入り味噌を使っていたのですが、ある日突然、その味が不自然というか、強すぎると感じるようになってしまって😂以来、味噌は無添加のものに変え、鰹節で出汁をとっています。

実家の母が毎朝鰹節で出汁をとっているのを見て「面倒くさそうだな」と思っていましたが、実際やってみると自分で出汁をとったほうが断然美味しい！

とはいえ私は根っからの横着者なので、出汁をとった後の鰹節を捨てるのが面倒で……。インターネットで調べたところ、「鰹節はタンパク質だから、味噌汁の具材としてそのまま食べれば良いのです」という情報を見つけ、それに従っています。ちなみに、母にその話をしたら、彼女も最近はそうしているそうです。

家族はみんな豚汁が大好きで、毎回おかわりするので、昨夜も大鍋にたっぷり作りました。

さてさて、今年の夏は、子どもたちの予定が盛りだくさんです。

長男は吹奏楽部のコンクールに向けて、夏休み前半は毎日部活。次男は今週から公文の「書き方教室」がスタートするし、昨年4月から始めたスイミングも継続中です。お盆には、私の実家に帰省する予定もあります。

私自身は忙しいのが苦手で予定が詰まってくると憂鬱になってしまうのですが、子どもたちがいろいろな活動を楽しみながら自分の世界を広げていく様子を、後ろから眺めているのは楽しいかもしれません☺️

まだまだ暑い日々は続きますが、家族みんなが元気でこの夏を乗り切れますように。

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