Making Miso Soup
Miso soup relies on a foundation of dashi stock infused with miso paste; the secret is never boiling the soup after the miso is added, which protects the texture and flavor of the fermented beans.
Balance your salt levels early.
Miso varies in salinity and color depending on the fermentation length. Start with less paste than you think you need, as you can always whisk in more at the end.
- small saucepan
- fine-mesh strainer
- whisk or pair of chopsticks
What goes in.
- 4 cupswater
- 1 piece (3 inch)kombu (dried kelp)
- 1/2 cupkatsuobushi (bonito flakes)
- 3 tbspmiso paste (white or red)
- 1/2 blocksilken tofu, cut into small cubes
- 2 tbspscallions, thinly sliced
Dissolving the paste
Never drop a clump of miso directly into the hot pot. Ladle a small amount of broth into a bowl, whisk the miso into that until smooth, then pour the mixture back into the pot.
The method.
Prepare the dashi
Place water and kombu in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove the kombu just before the water reaches a boil. Stir in the bonito flakes and let sit for two minutes, then strain the liquid into a clean pot.
Add the solids
Return the dashi to the stove on low heat. Add the tofu cubes and warm them through gently for about three minutes.
Incorporate the miso
Temper the miso paste in a separate bowl using a splash of the warm dashi. Whisk the dissolved paste back into the main pot.
Finish
Remove the pot from the heat immediately. Taste, adjust if needed, and divide into bowls. Top with scallions.
Other turns to take.
Wakame
Rehydrate one teaspoon of dried seaweed in cold water and add it to the broth during the final minute of heating.
Hearty Root
Add paper-thin slices of daikon radish and simmer in the dashi until tender before adding the miso.
When it doesn't go to plan.
White miso is mild and sweet; red miso is pungent and salty. Mix them for a balanced middle ground.
Do not boil the dashi once the bonito flakes are added, or the stock will turn cloudy and bitter.
Silken tofu is fragile; stir the pot with a light hand to avoid breaking the cubes.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use instant dashi granules?
Yes, dissolve one teaspoon of dashi granules per four cups of water if you do not have time to steep kombu and bonito.
Why did my miso soup separate?
This happens if the soup was boiled after adding the miso. Keep the heat low and pull the pot off the flame as soon as it is incorporated.
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