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Basic Vegetarian Miso Soup

The key to good miso soup is to never boil it.  Boiling the stock, which is the basis of the soup, makes it cloudy, while boiling the finished soup with miso makes the miso curdle and change flavors (in a bad way).

While this recipe is for a basic vegetarian miso soup, there are many possibilities for variations.  Any of the three types of miso—white, red, and mixed—can be used.  It’s also not uncommon to add extra vegetables to make a heartier and more filling soup.

approx. 3 servings

1.5 quart  filtered water
½ 16 oz. block firm tofu
1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
1 small piece  dashima/kombu
1 stalk green onions
2 Tbs miso paste
other desired vegetables (potatoes, mu, spinach, wakame)

Pour water into a large pot and add the dashima and dried mushrooms.  You don’t need to rinse the white powder, which are flavorful minerals, off the dashima.  Cover the pot and let the stock sit overnight in your refrigerator.  (If short on time, let the stock gently simmer for 15 minutes.)

The next day, remove the dashima from the stock and bring it to a gentle simmer.  At this point, add any vegetables that need cooking—potatoes, mu, cabbage—and simmer until soft, then turn the heat down to low.  Drain and rinse the tofu.  Slice into small cubes and add to the stock, along with any extra ingredients that need minimal cooking (spinach, wakame, etc.).

While the tofu is heating up in the stock, finely chop the green onions.  Set aside.  Lade approximately 1 cup of broth into a separate bowl and add miso paste.  Mix until the paste is thoroughly dissolved, then add the broth and paste back into the pot.

Turn off heat and wait 2-3 minutes before topping with green onions and serving.