Recipe: No Fuss Traditional Miso Soup

Is there anything more reassuring than to hold a bowl of soup with both hands, steam and aroma filling one’s senses just before sipping and slurping commence? Nope. And, this traditional miso soup can be made in less than 20 minutes. Enjoy as the Japanese do for breakfast, or sup up as a late afternoon break from your coffee mug. We love Hikari Miso’s miso pastes because they are certified organic and richly aromatic and delicious, and a 4th generation Japanese family carrying on authentic miso tradition. (Oh, and FIG designed Hikari Miso’s English-speaking website and translated all of their recipes so we became intimate with their products and proficient in miso do’s and don’ts).

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 cups water or stock of choice (chicken, veg, beef, mushroom)
  • 5 each scallions, diagonally diced
  • 1 each large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into diagonal ovals; then julienned
  • 8- to 9-oz. firm tofu, drained and diced into ½-inch cubes
  • 6 tablespoons Hikari Miso Organic Brown, White, Red or Dashi Miso (or use whatever miso you have)
  • Optional additions but so not necessary:
    • 2 tablespoons dried wakame seaweed soaked in warm water
    • 1 tablespoon fresh garlic or ginger, minced
    • You decide cooked soba, udon or spaghetti noodles

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat water/broth in a large saucepan until boiling; remove from heat
  2. Once the water is no longer boiling, ladle liquid into one soup bowl and stir in all miso past until blended well. Return miso paste infused-liquid back to saucepan on stove and keep heat to medium-low.
  3. Add scallions, carrots, and tofu and allow to heat together (but not boil) for two minutes. Serve in mugs or bowls and sip away any blues or agitation.

Culinary Pro Tip: keep this a living food by avoiding ever boiling the miso paste, a fermented food.