What is miso soup?
Sushi places serve miso soup in those little lacquered bowls. It is the soup with those little bits of tofu and seaweed swirling around in a cloudy broth. Miso soup is simple, comforting and full of umami.
What is in miso soup?
The soup is made from a fermented soybean paste called, that’s right, ‘miso.’ Soybeans are mashed up and then, like all fermented goods, mixed with salt and left alone to do their thing. The fermented paste is delicious and incredibly versatile – there are so many uses for it! This paste is mixed with dashi (fish or seaweed stock), tofu, seaweed and green onions.
Where can you buy miso paste?
Most groceries stores, in Canada and Australia anyway, sell miso paste in the refrigerated section, often near sauerkraut or kimchi. If not, you can always get some from your local Asian grocery store or even Amazon.
What else can I use miso paste in?
I recently dropped a container of miso paste and the plastic lid cracked. It slowly started to dry out so I added it to nearly everything. Any recipe that called for stock got a spoonful of miso. Bolognaise, soups of all variety, stir fries, marinade for meat, even scrambled eggs. It added a little burst of umami flavour and I really noticed the difference.
I keep banging on about ‘umami’ and for those who haven’t come across this term, it is one of the 5 basic tastes. We have sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. Umami ingredients, like miso, add depth and richness to dishes.
What type of seaweed to use in miso soup?
Wakame is a soft, tender seaweed that usually comes in dehydrated strips. You can buy a bag of it at most Asian grocery stores and it lasts for ages. It is mild with a slightly sweet flavour and it rehydrates into those little strips of seaweed that we know from restaurants.
If you can’t find wakame, other types of seaweed can be used but they won’t be as good. I’ve tried using cut up strips of nori and it kind of dissolves when rehydrated. Not super pleasant but completely edible.
What type of tofu to use in miso soup?
Soft or silken tofu is commonly used but you can also use medium or firm. Again, every major grocery store that I’ve been to sells tofu but if you’re living somewhere that doesn’t (Alaska?) then try your Asian grocery store. Are there any of those in Alaska?
What is dashi?
Dashi is a seafood stock typically made from bonito flakes, kombu and sometimes dried shiitake mushrooms. Sushi places have their own particular way of making dashi and it is a fun ingredient to experiment with. You can also buy little sachets of powdered dashi which are great to have on hand. They save time and last forever. But if you want to make your own then take a look at our guide here.
If you use chicken, vegetable or beef stock, the soup will probably taste fine but definitely will be a different flavour profile and not very traditional.
Miso soup
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
Materials
- 1 L Dashi
- 5 tbsp Miso paste
- 200 g Tofu cut into little cubes (1.5cm)
- 1 tbsp Wakame seaweed
- 1 Green onion finely sliced
Instructions
Make the soup
- Bring your dashi to a gentle boil and turn off the heat
- Scoop out some liquid and add the miso paste to this. Break it all up with a fork or whisk so that all of the paste is dissolved
- Add the paste into the pot of dashi
- Add your wakame, tofu and green onions
- Serve straight away!