Making Proper Miso Soup at Home
A good bowl of miso soup relies on the balance between the oceanic, clean base of the dashi and the earthy salinity of the miso. It takes twenty minutes to pull together and provides a grounded start to a meal.
Know your miso strength
White miso is lighter and sweeter, while red miso is pungent and deeply salted. Start with a mild white or balanced awase miso if you are unsure of your preference.
- medium saucepan
- fine mesh strainer
- small bowl or ladle
- wooden spoon
What goes in.
- 4 cupswater
- 1 piece (4-inch)kombu (dried kelp)
- 1 cupkatsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- 3 tbspmiso paste
- 1/2 blocksilken tofu, cut into small cubes
- 2 tbspscallions, thinly sliced
Don't boil the miso
Dissolve the miso paste in a small ladle of hot dashi before whisking it back into the pot. This prevents lumps and keeps the volatile oils in the miso from evaporating.
The method.
Prepare the dashi
Place the water and kombu in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring it slowly to the edge of a simmer. Remove the kombu just before the water boils to prevent bitterness.
Steep the bonito
Add the bonito flakes to the hot water. Turn off the heat and let them steep for 3 minutes until they sink to the bottom. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot, discarding the flakes.
Add the solids
Bring the dashi back to a gentle simmer. Add the cubed tofu and let it warm through for 1 minute.
Finish with miso
Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Ladle some dashi into a small bowl, add the miso paste, and whisk until smooth. Pour this mixture back into the main pot and stir gently to combine.
Serve
Remove the pot from the heat immediately. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh scallions.
Other turns to take.
Earthier base
Add sliced shiitake mushrooms or dried wakame seaweed to the dashi during the steeping stage.
Hearty meal
Add thin strips of daikon radish or carrot and boil them in the dashi until tender before adding the miso.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Do not rinse the white powder off the kombu; that is umami.
If the soup tastes flat, add an extra teaspoon of miso rather than salt.
Use a fine mesh strainer to 'filter' the miso into the broth if you want a crystal-clear look.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use dashi powder instead of making it from scratch?
Yes, dashi granules are a standard pantry staple. Just whisk them into hot water according to the package ratio.
Why does my miso soup look cloudy?
The miso contains natural grains from the fermentation process. It is meant to look slightly cloudy.
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