While writing my post on How to Host a Sushi Party, I surfed the blogs for a good 30 minutes looking for a great tutorial on how to make miso soup using instant dashi. Well, I couldn’t find one that I liked, and in that 30 minutes I could have made 30 gallons of miso soup and still photograph/write a tutorial. So thats just what I did. (the photography/writing thing, not the 30 gallons)
First, the ingredients:
I use instant Dashi - kind of like Japan’s version of chicken boullion. If you didn’t have Dashi, you could use diluted chicken stock…but it just wouldn’t taste right. But hey, if you really wanted miso soup and thats all you had, go for it. Just make sure you dilute the chicken stock - 70% water, 30% stock…otherwise your miso soup will end up tasting like chicken soup. Alright, back to the dashi. You could also make dashi from kombu and bonito flakes, but this recipe is the 10 minute miso soup, therefore instant dashi works just fine. Instant dashi can also come in a convenient glass jar.
- Other uses for dashi stock- boil your edamame in dashi instead of just plain water. They will taste SO much better.
- Blanch or steam vegetables in dashi stock.
This is dried seaweed. Just a tablespoon of the dried wakame will be enough for a pot of miso soup to feed 4. Soak this in a little water and watch it expand. There are many, many different kinds of seaweed, but this one is made especially for eating in miso soup. Look at the package first. Of course, I can’t read Japanese, but the back of this package shows an illustration of miso soup and little arrows pointing to put the seaweed in the soup and a happy smiling face drinking the soup. Therefore it must mean seaweed fortified with Prozac.
This is the miso paste that I found in the refrigerated section of the Asian market. Many regular supermarkets have miso paste as well. I generally buy organic, but this is all I found last week. I like Shiro Miso the best - its lighter, sweeter, little less salty. The most important thing about making miso soup is that you never boil the miso paste. Only add miso after you’ve turned off the heat. So, if you are using anything that needs a little cooking time, just do that before you add the miso paste.
Organic tofu. Cut into little cubes. I’ve tried making my own tofu before. Lots of work for very little tofu. I’d rather buy a block of the organic stuff.
10 Minute Miso Soup
serves 4 4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant dashi powder
1/2 cup miso paste
1 tablespoon dried seaweed (for miso soup), soaked in
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cubed tofu
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1. Boil water. Add dashi. Turn down heat. Stir.
2. Add tofu and drained seaweed. Let cook for a minute on low. In meantime, spoon 1/2 cup of the hot stock into bowl with the miso paste. Using chopsticks, mix to melt the miso paste so that it becomes a smooth mixture. 
3. Turn off heat. Add all of the miso. Stir. Serve. Top with chopped green onion.
4. Drink up. Other ingredients you could add to the miso soup: sliced shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced leeks, spinach, crab meat, egg, fish cake.
May 20th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
This miso soup looks really authentic (bowl and spoon, included)
I wonder if it will taste as authentic if I use chicken stock. The Shiro Miso you recommended sounds worthy. Let me check out my nearby korean grocer. :p Thks!
May 20th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Jaden, this is exactly how I made miso almost everyday! And Shiro Miso is my top fav, too.
Always have some on hand.
May 20th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
I wish I was content enough to read your posts without commenting…you know, just blurking. But you are just too much fun not to write and say how much I enjoyed this post.
I’ve wanted to make my own miso soup but wasn’t sure what exactly was needed. I love the prozac paste. I must search to find exactly that brand here in England. I want a happy face too.
May 20th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Gotta love happy faces!
I love this recipe and all the product recommendations. I’m going to bookmark this. Thanks Jaden!
May 20th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Tigerfish- I was desperate once and used diluted ckn stock, it was ok, not bad and fixed my craving.
Anh- It is so healthy that I think I should have some every day too. Maybe miso soup instead of bfast?
Melinda- you are too kind!
Amy- thank you!
May 21st, 2007 at 11:38 pm
yes, i am wondering where to buy that “seaweed fortified with prozac”! ;] but seriously, i do want to try this recipe too!
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:27 am
Hi, you have a very beautiful blog!
I am gonna try your miso soup…it looks easy enough for me, and I should be able to get all the ingredients…thanks for sharing your recipe =)
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:53 am
Cindy- well its probably special order from a shady seaweed dealer
Happy Homebaker- Thank you! I think you are such a talented baker - would love to try the chocolate marble bread. I think my kids would love it.
June 13th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
can you make make miso soup without tofu
June 14th, 2007 at 12:59 am
Dondon- certainly. the only must haves are miso and dashi. The rest are “condiments”
June 30th, 2007 at 4:11 am
Hi,
First of all, this page is the only page that I could find in Google that best describe and explain how to make miso soup.
Many many thanks, I definitely bookmark this page.
Just a question however, my siblings are vegan, will the taste be very bad if we do not have the Dashi?
June 30th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Ivon- Use vegetable stock that is diluted…it will taste just as good…and definitely healthy!
July 2nd, 2007 at 5:21 am
Thanks for the recipe. Am giving it a go this evening though I’ll be using miso paste with dashi included in it - can’t read Japanese either but the label at the supermarket pointed it out.
July 24th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Your miso soup looks good. Miso soup is one of my favorites. I was using the dashi no moto for a long time. Then I discovered that making the dashi from konbu and bonito flakes was pretty easy. If you always have a supply of dashi in your fridge then it still only takes a few minutes to make the miso soup.
Your spoon and bowl look really interesting/good.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:51 am
2 questions…
Where can I get a set of your bowls? Those look nearly indestructible!
Also, when you say to use seaweed, are you using the dried algae/nori sheets for sushi just chopped up? Or are you actually using seaweed?
February 15th, 2008 at 4:09 am
Thats some good miso, first time making it and it tastes almost exactly like the best japanese restaurant ive ever been to