Introduction: Easy Miso Soup Hack

By https://solidgoldeats.com/
About: Cooking and eating, on repeat. Writing about the history and science of food and recipes

I have been trying my hand at Japanese cuisine for weeks now, and all this started with my trip to the international market a few years ago about which I also wrote on SolidGoldEats. Recently I was doing my usual I’m-running-out-of-butter-and-baking-powder errand and I caught sight of MISO. Yeah! The amazing Asian ingredient. So, miso is made from fermented soybeans and is a thick paste-like substance which might not sound particularly delicious, but it has a great umami flavor. It is popular because of the famous Japanese Miso soup which we’re going to learn to make.

I bet you’ve all had that gooey and lumpy experience with your soup but here I have a cool way to prepare a bowl of some smooth and delightful miso soup. You can thank me later!

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Step 1: ​Ingredients

Your ingredients should be all set before you get on with the actual cooking!

  • Miso- ¼ cup
  • Dashi- 3 cups
  • Silken tofu (1/2-inch pieces)- ½ cup
  • Wakame seaweed (dried)- 1 tablespoon
  • Scallion (thinly sliced)- 1

Step 2: Prep the Wakame

So, to start off, you must have the wakame seaweed. My friend got me this packet of wakame from Illinois which has made things more convenient for me. Now all you have to do is soak this in water and let it sit for 25-30 minutes. I suggest you stir it occasionally.

Step 3: Dashi Broth

Take a small saucepan and prepare your dashi. For this, you need kombu (kelp), shiitake mushrooms or katsuobushi(dried tuna flakes).

In this instructable, we're making the elemental dashi which is usually made for the miso soup.

So, first of all, soak the kombu kelp in a saucepan for 30 minutes. Then, heat it until it is boiling and take out the kombu leaves.

Step 4: Combining All Ingredients

Now into the dashi broth, add the soaked wakame and tofu. You can also add other chopped vegetables and beans into and let them simmer properly.
When all your ingredients are cooked, turn off the heat. Now, put in the miso paste and gently stir the mixture.

The key trick is to never boil your miso. If you boil it, the aroma fades soon, and the undesirable lumps form.

Once the mixture is stirred properly, heat it again and then, turn off the heat before it starts boiling.

Well, that was it! The basic healthy miso soup we love. Serve this hot with scallion on top for the exotic Japanese touch.