Miso Shiru (Japanese Tofu and Wakame Miso Soup)
Local name: 味噌汁
In short: A light dashi broth flavored with miso, with soft tofu, wakame seaweed and spring onions, ready in about 20 minutes. It takes about 20 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 60 kcal
Beside the rice at nearly every traditional Japanese meal, breakfast included, sits a small bowl of miso soup. A good one is simple: a clean dashi, a spoonful or two of fermented miso paste, and a couple of ingredients such as tofu and wakame. The key rule is never to boil the soup after the miso goes in, which dulls its aroma and makes it taste flat. Dissolve the paste in a ladle of hot broth first, so no lumps remain.
Instructions
- Soak the wakame in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes until soft and expanded. Drain it and squeeze out the water.
- Warm the dashi in a medium pot over medium heat until it is steaming and just below a simmer.
- Add the tofu and heat for 1 to 2 minutes without stirring hard, so the cubes stay whole.
- Put the miso in a ladle or small strainer, lower it into the pot and stir with chopsticks or a whisk until the paste dissolves into the broth.
- Add the wakame and heat for 30 seconds more. Do not let the soup boil.
- Ladle into small bowls, scatter with spring onions and serve right away.
Tips
- Change the ingredients with the season: daikon, potato, mushrooms and spinach all work. Firm vegetables go in with the dashi, and leafy greens go in at the end.
- Red miso gives a deeper, saltier flavor and white miso is sweeter and milder. Many cooks blend the two. Taste first, since brands vary in salt.
Questions and answers
Is miso soup vegan?
Not usually, because dashi is traditionally made with dried bonito. For a vegan version, use a dashi made from kombu and dried shiitake.
Can I reheat miso soup?
Yes, but warm it gently without boiling, because boiling dulls the fragrance. Leftovers keep for up to 2 days in the fridge.
Why shouldn't miso soup be boiled?
Boiling drives off the delicate aroma and can leave the soup tasting flat or bitter. Stir the miso in at the end, with the heat low.
How long does it take to make Miso Shiru (Japanese Tofu and Wakame Miso Soup)?
About 20 min in total: 10 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Miso Shiru (Japanese Tofu and Wakame Miso Soup)?
About 60 kcal per serving, with 5 g of protein, 5 g of carbohydrates and 2 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 60 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 5 g |
| Fat | 2 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Sodium | 800 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
