Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup made of dashi stock and miso paste. My grandmother adds in extra firm tofu and wakame (dried seaweed). Some people use spinach instead of wakame, or mushrooms with the tofu, or top with scallions. There are many variations and kinds of miso soup. There are also different kinds of miso. Read more about the different types here.
I used Marukome Boy Ryotei No Aji Miso Paste which you can find in Asian markets. Ryotei No Aji contains a Dashi broth. Most other miso pastes do not have this broth cooked into the paste, but rather, need it added during the cooking process. I could not find the Genkai wakame my grandmother uses so I used Wel-Pac Fueru Wakame. Unless you know your supermarket carries a variety of tofu, you might want to pick some up at the Asian market. My supermarket only had Mori-Nu Silken Tofu.
The amount of miso paste you use is based on your own preference. I love the flavor of miso paste so I use many tablespoons. Marukome recommends 4 tablespoons per 3-1/3 cups of water (about 1-1/5 tablespoons per cup). I made about 4 quarts (16 cups), which means I would need about 19-1/5 tablespoons. That is just a guideline. Taste as you go. The most time consuming part of the process is adding in the miso paste. Because you do not want clumps of miso in your soup, use a small bowl and water from the pot to break up the tablespoons before adding them into the pot mixture.
The amount of tofu and seaweed you use is also based on your preference. If you like a thinner soup, you should use less than what I have listed below. Marukome recommends 5 ounces of tofu and 1-1/4 ounces of wakame seaweed per 3-1/3 cups of water.
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YIELDS: 4 QUARTS
INGREDIENTS
- 12-1/3 ounces Extra Firm Tofu
- 1 cup (measure dried) Wakame Seaweed
- 4 quarts water
- 19-1/5 tablespoons Miso Paste
DIRECTIONS
- Cut tofu into cubes.
- In a small bowl, add 1 cup wakame seaweed and cover with cold water. Allow to soak for 4-6 minutes.
- While seaweed is soaking, fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water and bring to a boil.
- Add tofu and seaweed and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn heat to low. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of miso paste into another small bowl. Using a ladle pour some of the water from the pot into the small bowl and use a fork or spoon to gently dissolve the miso paste.
- Once dissolved, stir the dissolved miso paste into the pot mixture. Repeat this process. After the tenth tablespoon has been mixed in, begin to taste the pot mixture and continue adding the dissolved tablespoons of miso paste until desired flavor is reached.
- Reheat pot if necessary, serve hot.
YIELDS 3 1/3 CUPS
INGREDIENTS
- 5 ounces Extra Firm Tofu
- 1-1/4 ounces (measure dried) Wakame Seaweed
- 3-1/3 cups water
- 4 tablespoons Miso Paste
DIRECTIONS
- Cut tofu into cubes.
- In a small bowl, add 1-1/4 ounces wakame seaweed and cover with cold water. Allow to soak for 4-6 minutes.
- While seaweed is soaking, fill a pot with 3-1/3 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- Add tofu and seaweed and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn heat to low. Place 1 tablespoon of miso paste into another small bowl. Using a ladle pour some of the water from the pot into the small bowl and use a fork or spoon to gently dissolve the miso paste.
- Once dissolved, stir the dissolved miso paste into the pot mixture. Repeat this process. Taste the pot mixture and continue adding the dissolved tablespoons of miso paste until desired flavor is reached.
- Reheat pot if necessary, serve hot.
Monarch Way 