Authentic Miso Soup
(from curiosity’s recipe box)
This is your basic recipe. But a variety of other ingredients can spice up miso:
Chinese cabbage, cut into bite-size squares or triangles, Cabbage, cut into bite-size squares or triangles Lettuce, cut into bite-size squares or triangles, Green onions, sliced, Onions, sliced
Leeks, sliced or chopped, Okra, chopped
Butternut squash, thinly sliced
Snow pea pods
Green beans
Daikon, thinly sliced
Potatoes, thinly sliced
Sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Bean sprouts
Some of these need to be pre-cooked before adding to broth.
Source: http://moon-pie.blogspot.com/2006/03/how-to-make-authentic-miso-soup.html
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups water
- 1 large strip konbu ($3.99 for a package of 12 strips) .333
- 1 handful bonito flakes ($3.49 for 10 individually-wrapped packages)
- 3-4 tablespoons miso paste ($4.99 for a tub that contains 25 servings)
- 1/2 block silken tofu, or as much as desired (1 block = $1.49)
- 1/2 teaspoons dried cut wakame ($2.99 for a 100g pack; 1 serving = 0.2g)
- 1 teaspoon (or 3/4 inch) chopped scallions ($2.00 a pound, or 10 cents per stalk)
Directions
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There are two components to basic miso soup: dashi and miso paste. Dashi is a fish-and-seaweed broth made from konbu (a kind of kelp) and finely-shaved dried bonito flakes (bonito is a fish similar to tuna); it is a base for lots of Japanese sauces and soups. To make the dashi:
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Add a strip of konbu to a pot of cold water (if the strip is too long, break it in half). Bring to a simmer over low heat; it should take 10-15 minutes for the water to simmer, allowing the konbu to infuse it.
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As soon as the water reaches boiling, remove the konbu.
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Add a handful of bonito flakes to the simmering water and remove from heat. Let the flakes steep for 1 minute, then strain them out of the broth.
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Miso paste is made from fermented soybeans. There are many varieties of miso paste; they come in colors ranging from pale yellow, mild paste to strong, dark red-brown. Beginners often start with medium-brown paste, but I’m partial to lighter pastes myself (although these require more paste per serving than stronger pastes).
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Scoop about ¼ cup dashi into a small bowl, then whisk miso in until a smooth, creamy paste is achieved. Whisk mixture into dashi and return to a simmer.
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Add in tofu and wakame and simmer for 2 minutes. Garnish with scallions, a splash of soy sauce if desired, and serve hot.
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Silken tofu is advised because its smooth consistency compliments the texture of the soup. Wakame is a kind of seaweed that is very high in iodine and is good for the metabolism, as well as being delicious. It rehydrates quickly in hot soup.
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This whole process takes about 20 minutes, and that’s counting the 15 that the konbu has to steep! You can make the konbu-infused water in advance and keep it refrigerated for a good long time; the completed soup will keep for about 4 days.