Make Miso Soup
Miso soup is very popular in Japan and within the Pacific Region. It has also become a staple meal within the Japanese culture. Korean restaurants serve a similar, but different tasting, soup.
Ingredients
- 1/4 oz (7 g) dried seaweed (wakame)
- 4 1/4 oz (120 g) fresh soft tofu or long life silken tofu
- 13 1/2 fl oz (400 ml) dashi (fish and seaweed stock) or 400 ml (13 1/2 fl oz) of water and 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) powdered dashi
- 1 1/2 tbsp (20 ml) miso paste
- 2 medium spring onions
- Portobello or Shiitake mushrooms
Steps
- Heat the Make Dashi. Pour the dashi into a large saucepan or pot, place it on the stove, and turn the heat onto "high".
- Soak the wakame. Place the seaweed into a small bowl and add water into the bowl, until it covers it well. By doing this, you're expanding the seaweed.
- Melt the miso by putting it into a cup, and pour a little bit of dashi on it to melt it down. Stir thoroughly until the miso is dissolved. Pour the mixture into the pan and stir.
- Cut the tofu into {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} squares. You may cut it, however you like, bigger or smaller, than 1 cm (depending on your style or likings). Add the tofu pieces to the pan and turn the heat down.
- Add the wakame to the pan. You do not want this to boil, as the flavors of the dish may impair or distort.
- Serve the miso soup in bowls. Chop up the spring onions and garnish each bowl before serving.
Tips
- The miso contains nutritious enzymes; be careful not to boil once miso is added.
- Use forks or chopsticks for the large items and drink the liquid afterwards..
- Delicious (but non-traditional) add-ins: slice up a little peeled, fresh ginger root and allow to simmer gently for a few minutes in the miso soup before serving (remove before serving); add some very thin slices of washed, scraped raw carrot or daikon to the broth while heating; or reconstitute some dried mushrooms with the wakame. Shredded bok choy is delicious and makes your miso a more hearty and nutritious treat. Also, try to recreate your favorite restaurant versions.
- It's normal for particulates in the miso to settle at the bottom if you leave the soup sitting for a time, simply stir to mix them up throughout the soup again (chopsticks or simply swirling the bowl will be enough to get the water flowing).
Warnings
- Don't drink too much. It has a lot of sodium.
- Serving will be hot after being made.
Things You'll Need
- 1 measuring jug
- 1 saucepan
- 1 small bowl
- 1 cup
- 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 chopping board
