Traditional Miso Soup

• •4 cups Water
• •4 inch piece Kombu (dried kelp)
• •1 cup Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
• •3 tablespoons Awase Miso Paste (or white/shiro miso)
• •1 block (12-14 oz), cut into 1/2-inch cubes Silken or Soft Tofu
• •2 tablespoons Dried Wakame Seaweed
• •2 stalks, thinly sliced Green Onions (scallions)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the Dashi: In a medium pot, combine 4 cups of water and the kombu. Bring the water to just under a boil over medium heat (small bubbles should form around the edges). Remove the kombu just before it boils.

2. 2

   Add the katsuobushi to the hot water. Turn off the heat immediately and let it steep for 5 minutes. Strain the dashi through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, discarding the katsuobushi. This is your dashi broth.

3. 3

   While the dashi steeps, rehydrate the wakame seaweed: Place the dried wakame in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Let it soak for 5 minutes until it expands and softens. Drain the wakame, gently squeeze out any excess water, and chop into smaller pieces if necessary.

4. 4

   Gently heat the dashi broth over low-medium heat. Do not let it come to a rolling boil.

5. 5

   In a small bowl, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the warm dashi broth. Add the miso paste to this small bowl and whisk until the miso is completely dissolved and smooth. This prevents clumps in the soup.

6. 6

   Pour the dissolved miso mixture back into the pot with the remaining dashi broth, stirring gently to combine. Ensure the heat is low; the soup should be warm, not boiling.

7. 7

   Add the cubed tofu and rehydrated wakame to the soup. Heat for another 1-2 minutes, just until the ingredients are warmed through. Again, do not boil the soup after adding the miso.

8. 8

   Ladle the Traditional Miso Soup into individual serving bowls. Garnish each bowl generously with thinly sliced green onions before serving immediately.

Chef's Tips

• 💡Never boil miso soup after adding the miso paste. Boiling destroys the delicate flavor of the miso and can diminish the beneficial probiotics.
• 💡Adjust the amount of miso paste to your personal preference. Miso varieties can vary in saltiness and intensity, so taste and adjust.
• 💡For convenience, you can use dashi powder (1-2 teaspoons dissolved in 4 cups of hot water) instead of making dashi from scratch, though scratch-made dashi offers a superior flavor.
• 💡Experiment with different types of miso, such as white (shiro) miso for a sweeter, milder flavor, or red (aka) miso for a richer, saltier taste.
• 💡For added texture and flavor, you can include thinly sliced mushrooms (like shiitake) or a few pieces of daikon radish when heating the dashi.