Miso Soup

This is how to make miso soup, a traditional Japanese soup made from fermented soybean paste (or miso). Sooooo umami-rich, warm, and comforting.

Basic info:

• yields 4 servings
• cooking time: soup base - 30 minutes to cook, wakame (seaweed) preparation - 15 minutes to soak, soup assembly: 5 minutes, total time: 50 minutes
• allergens: fish (bonito flakes) - can be omitted, soy (miso, tofu), vegan/vegetarian friendly!
• preparation difficulty: easy
• equipment needed: medium pot, 1-2 small bowls, ladle, spoon

Ingredients:

to make dashi (soup base):

• 1 5in square kombu (dried kelp)
• 2 cups loosely packed katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
• 1 tablespoon sake
• 1 tablespoon mirin

toppings/add-ins:

• 5 grams wakame (dried seaweed), crushed (1/4 cup)
• 5 grams wakame (dried seaweed), crushed (1/4 cup)
• 1 14ounce package silken tofu, drained
• 1/4 cup miso (red or white: see more), plus more to taste

* miso note: white/shiro miso is made with a higher proportion of rice to soybeans which has a milder sweeter flavor. red/aka miso is made with more soybeans with a bolder more umami-rich taste (and darker color). both are good but have different flavor profiles as a heads up for your soup.

• 1 large scallion, thinly sliced

Instructions

to make dashi

1. make dashi, the soup base:
2. soak kombu in 4 cups cold water for 15 min in a medium pot.

3. add sake and mirin and bring the pot to a simmer on high heat
4. take pot off of the heat just as water starts to boil, and cover for 15 min
5. when ready to serve:
6. remove kombu from pot. * you can discard the kombu or slice thinly into stricts to add to pasta, soup, stews, and salads. kelp is one of the most nutrient dense seaweeds
7. stir the katsubushi into the broth and cover to steep for 1 min

8. strain into a medium bowl and press the katsubushi to extract all the liquid and discard the flakes

to prepare wakame (seaweed)

9. while waiting on the dashi, soak wakame in a small bowl of water for 15 minutes or until soft

10. drain wakame and set aside

to assemble soup

11. put the dashi in the pot and add the drained wakame
12. scoop the tofu into the pot with a spoon or your hand, leaving it in large chunks

13. bring the soup to a boil then remove from heat
14. add miso to a small bowl, and ladle some broth over to stir and dissolve the miso
15. add the dissolved miso mixture to the pot and stir gently until incorporated
16. add the scallion and seasonings by taste

17. serve immediately

how to store

1. refriderate in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days.
2. to preserve the most flavor, store the dashi broth separately from miso paste and other ingredients, and add miso and garnishes after heating up dashi over low heat

Sourced from nyt cooking: Recipe

images