Miso soup (味噌汁)

tabemonomadness

• 3 min read
Miso soup (味噌汁)

Typical Japanese family eats rice and drinks miso soup every day. Miso is fermented soybean paste. Miso soup is very easy to make at home with your choices of ingredients! I would like to introduce a very common and simple miso soup with Wakame (seaweed) and Tofu.

Ingredients (2 bowls):

  • 1/4 package of *Tofu (100g, 3.5oz, firm)
  • 2 tablespoons of *Miso paste
  • 1/2 small package of *Dashi (2g, 0.07oz)
  • 1 teaspoon of *dried Wakame
  • 300ml (10floz) of water

*Tofu is a bean curd. It has a plain flavor. There are a variety of softness like silken, soft, firm or extra firm.
*Miso paste is made from fermented soybeans, Koji (cultured grain), and salt.
There are a variety of Miso pastes like Shiro (white) miso, Aka (red) miso, and Awase (a mix of red and white) miso. Shiro (white) miso has a mild, Aka (red) miso has a very fermented, and Awase (a mix of red and white) miso has a medium fermented flavor.
*Dashi is Japanese soup stock or broth which is widely used for Japanese cooking.
*Dried Wakame is a dried seaweed. It is a type of marine algae and a sea vegetable. Japanese people use it for soups and salads. -> See picture A, B, C, and D.

Picture A: *Tofu (Normally, I use a firm tofu, but I used an extra firm tofu this time.)
Picture B: *Miso paste (I used a white miso paste this time.)
Picture C: *Dashi {I used Iriko (dried baby sardines) dashi this time.}
Picture D: *dried Wakame

Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 10 - 15 minutes.

  1. Boil water in a pot. After boiling, add *Dashi. -> See picture E.
Picture E
  1. Meanwhile, cut *Tofu into small cubes (about 2cm, 0.8 inch each).
  2. Remove 1. from heat. Add *Miso paste using by a small strainer and chopsticks to dissolve the *Miso paste as shown in pictures. -> See picture F and G.
Picture F
Picture G
  1. After *Miso paste is fully dissolved, add Tofu and *dried Wakame, and simmer with low heat until there are a few foams (air bubbles) inside the edge of the pot (until it reaches just below the boiling point.). Remove from heat. -> See picture H.
    (Cooking tips: If you use different ingredients for Miso soup like meat or/and hard vegetables, add these after 1. and before adding *Miso paste. After you add the *Miso paste, do not boil. Please try the miso soup after you add the *Miso paste and if it is too salty, add more water and adjust saltiness as you like.)
Picture H
  1. Pour Miso soup into a bowl.

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