Sunday, October 11, 2009

Miso Soup

While for a while I was trying to convince myself that instant Miso Soup was all I needed, there is nothing that compares to true Miso Soup and it's so easy to make it's hard to find a reason NOT to make it.

Serves 4

  • 3 cups dashi - I use chicken or veggie broth instead. It's easier to find and tastes just as good.
  • 1/2 cup white miso - please make sure it's white. The red miso has a much stronger taste and isn't as good.
  • 1/2 block soft (silken) tofu, about 7 oz, cut into 1/2-inch cubes. For those of you who have the "magic chopper" - what a great time to use it
  • 2 green onions, including tender green tops, minced
  • Pinch of dried wakame, reconstituted - I strongly suggest getting it. It's the seaweed for the soup and since it's dried, it will last forever!
In a small saucepan, bring the dashi to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium so that the dashi is at a gentle simmer. To prevent the miso from forming salty lumps in your soup, put 1 Tbs of the miso into a large spoon and, holding the spoon in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other, dip the edge of the spoon into the hot broth, scooping up a little of it onto the spoon. Holding the spoon above the broth, stir together the miso and dashi with the chopsticks to dissolve the miso, and then add it to the pan. Repeat with the remaining 3 Tbs miso.

When all of the miso has been mixed in, add the tofu cubes and heat through; about 1 mnute. Then add the wakame and cook for 30 seconds longer. Remember, once the miso is in the pan, the soup must never boil.

Recipe from "Let's Cook Japanese Food!" by Amy Kaneko

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