Miso Soup

Miso soup is one of those extremely simple soups I like to make whenever I'm in the mood for something salty and hot. Usually I end up drinking the broth straight from a large coffee mug. I have made this so many times, I simply eyeball the amounts to add.

However, for you miso neophytes, and measuring fanatics, here's a pretty good recipe (with measurements):

Easy Miso Soup

For the dashi:
4 cups of water
2 large pieces of kombu
one handful of shaved bonito

One large, rounded tablespoon of either red or yellow miso paste

Optional ingredients:
1 tbsp of chopped scallions
3 oz. small soft tofu cubes
1 tablespoon of dried wakame or dulse
A few thin slices of daikon radish
2 or 3 reconstituted shitake mushrooms, sliced

Bring the water to a hard boil, then remove it from the heat source. Place the kombu pieces in the pot and cover for 8 minutes. Once the water acquires the kombu flavor, toss (or eat!) the kombu and bring the pot of kombu-flavored water back on the heat source at low-medium heat.

Once the water gets warm again, but before a boil, add the bonito flakes and steep for a minute or two. Skim off any foam or scum that accumulates on the top of the broth, then pour the broth through a fine sieve. You don't want the bonito flakes, just the pure dashi broth. Toss the bonito in the trash, the flavor is mostly gone and the soggy flakes are rather useless now.

Place the dashi back on the stove at medium heat, and in a small bowl, put the miso and a few tablespoons of the broth together to thin out the paste. This will prevent it from clumping in the soup when you mix all of the ingredients together.

If you are adding daikon, wakame, shitakes or tofu, now is the time to throw those in the broth and cook for 3-5 minutes until hot.

Finally, turn off heat, mix in the thinned miso paste, add your other optional ingredients and enjoy.

I always do in my giant green coffee mug!