Cook: Everyday Miso Soup
Miso soup evokes so many different feelings. It’s the excitement before a fancy omakase meal where you can taste the work that went into the homemade dashi, or the beginning of a delicious home cooked Japanese dinner. It can be a simple soup or loaded with proteins, veggies, and noodles. Or, the way my family eats it, a nice way to warm up when it’s snowy season in Colorado over the holidays, best served over regular white rice.
This recipe is designed to show you that miso soup is easy to make, versatile, and delicious. It can be made with 3 ingredients or 10. The best part is that it’s totally up to you.
Dashi - this is the base of the soup and many other Japanese dishes. It’s a broth that’s made from kombu (kelp) and bonito flakes. This article by Chopstick Chronicles is great if you want to learn more about making it from scratch. If you don’t have time for that, you can use dashi packets or powder. I usually go this method since I often make it on the weeknights as a simple dinner after I get home from work. I use the Ajinomoto Hon Dashi packets to make mine. If you’re worried about MSG, don’t be and read my post about it.
Directions:
1. For 3-4 servings, boil 5 cups of water and 1.5 tsp of dashi powder. If you’re going to add any root vegetables or starches put them in now. I often use daikon because I love daikon and how it tastes when it’s boiled down.
I always put shiitake mushrooms in my miso soup because they add so much. If you are using dried mushrooms, start soaking them in warm water as you are beginning to cook the soup. Put a bowl on top so you can ensure that they are evenly soaked.
2. Once your dashi has come to a boil. Take a spoonful of miso and use the dashi to soften it into a smooth liquid. It should look like the second picture when you are ready to mix everything together. This is the correct way to mix the miso into the soup as taught to me by my mom (and the traditional Japanese way).
A very sophisticated way to soak your mushrooms.
3. After you’ve mixed in one spoonful, give it a taste and adjust to your liking. There are tons of different types of miso varieties but for an everyday soup, I prefer a Hikari’s white miso. Red miso has a stronger taste and is the saltiest. This one is better for marinades. Yellow is somewhat in the middle and also works great for soup.
4. Last, add in any ingredients that don’t take as long to tenderize (tofu, greens, soba noodles or anything else - the possibilities are endless). I also add a spoonful of that mushroom water that your shiitakes have been soaking in. Because, umami! Make sure to chop the stems off dried ones, they tend to be on the tougher side. .
5. To top of your bowl, add a few drops of sesame oil and togarashi. For a heartier meal add in some chicken or noodles. Instead of simply being a side, this can become an entire dinner that’s easy on your stomach and great as leftovers!
