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You are here: Home / Recipes / How to Make Simple & Delicious Miso Soup

How to Make Simple & Delicious Miso Soup

September 25, 2021 by Benjamin and Koshiki Leave a Comment

Miso Soup, The Japanese Kitchen

The foundation of a Japanese meals lies in the concept of “ichijyu-sansai,” one soup (often miso soup) with three sides: to serve healthy, balanced, and tasty meals. Today, miso soup is enjoyed by three-quarters of the Japanese population at least once a day.

What is Miso Soup?

A typical miso soup is made with dashi, Japanese stock, miso paste and consists of wakame seaweed, cubed tofu, and chopped scallions. However, there are many miso soup variations, depending on the region, household, and season: miso soup can have seasonal vegetables, local fish and clams, and meat.

Click here for our Butajiru recipe: a country-style miso soup with root vegetables and pork.

What is Miso?

miso

Miso is fermented bean paste widely used in Japanese cooking: made by crushing boiled soybeans mixed with koji mold to ferment for up to three years. Depending on the type and region, rice, barley, and wheat are mixed with crushed soybeans to make miso. There are many different kinds of miso, each with its flavor, aroma, color, and texture, but the most popular are white and red miso. Generally speaking, red miso have a higher volume of soybeans and salt, giving them a rich, deep flavor and color. These types of miso are most prevalent in northern regions. White and yellow miso, on the contrary, is light in color and mild in flavor.

Many Japanese dishes and cooking styles using miso are soups, dressings, marinades, dips, spreads, and desserts such as cookies and ice cream.

Delicious Recipes using Miso:

  • Citrus Miso Marinated Salmon
  • Sesame Miso Dressing
  • Butajiru, Country Style Miso Soup with Pork and Root Vegetables
  • Soba Noodle Salad
  • Miso Itame
  • Roasted Beets Salad with Miso Dressing and Walnuts
  • Fisherman’s Wife’s Miso Braised Berkshire Pork

Brief History

Miso (fermented soybean) was first introduced in Japan from China during the Asuka period (592-710); however, it was not until the Kamakura period (1185-1333) when the “ichijyu-sansai” concept started to gain popularity and people began to use miso in making soup. The Kamakura period was also known as the Japanese civil war era, and miso soup was cooked at the battlefield to feed soldiers healthy and nutritious meals.

Health Benefit

Miso is packed with protein with delightful aroma and taste and is considered Japan’s healthy staple food for centuries. Miso also has high level of minerals like zinc, copper, and is antioxidants. Because miso is a fermented food, it is full of beneficial bacteria for your gut.

Join our Edible Japan Tour and see miso making in Shinshu, Japan.

Print Pin

Miso Soup

miso soup 1200x1200
Miso soup is a Japanese soup made with dashi, stock, miso paste and often consists of wakame seaweed, cubed tofu, and chopped scallions. The soup is deeply flavorful, has many health benefits, and warms up inside out.
Course Appetizer, entree, Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Keyword miso, soybeans, dashi, wakame, seaweed, tofu, green onions, gluten-free
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 110kcal
Cost $5.00

Ingredients

  • 4 cups dashi Japanese soup stock
  • 1/4 cup miso When choosing miso, consider purchasing miso without added MSG, soup stock, or flavor. Many grocery stores carry organic and all-natural miso, including non-GMO soybeans and rice, which are excellent choices.   
  • 2 tablespoon dried wakame
  • 8 oz silken tofu
  • 2 green onions green parts only
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce optional
  • 1 teaspoon mirin optional

Instructions

  • Gather ingredients.
    Miso Soup Ingredients
  • Reconstitute wakame in a bowl with water, about 5 minutes.  Drain and squeeze out excess water.  
    Wakame
  • Cut tofu into cubes.
  • Chop green onions.
  • In a small bowl, mix miso with ½  cup of dashi and set it aside.  
    Mixing Miso
  • On a stove top, heat dashi in a medium soup pot.  When it’s hot, add miso mixture. Make sure miso dissolves completely.  Taste and add more miso if necessary. 
    Note: if using miso with soybean pieces, strain and dissolve the miso by placing a fine shiver over dashi.  
  • Add tofu, wakame, and green onions.  Season to taste with soy sauce and mirin (optional).  
  • Serve hot.

Notes

The nutritional information provided below for the recipe is only an estimated provided by an online information service and calculator.  Under no circumstances will The Japanese Kitchen or its owners be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from the information contained in this website. By using this content, you agree to these terms and conditions.

Nutrition

Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1520mg | Potassium: 370mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 87IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2mg
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Filed Under: Recipes, Stocks and Soups Tagged With: dashi, tofu, wakame

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A food blog brought to by Koshiki Yonemura. After almost two decades of running a restaurant in St. Paul with my husband, I now operate a boutique travel company, teach cooking classes and share recipes on this blog. Please leave a comment or send a message. I'd love to hear from you!

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