28 Mar Miso Soup for the Soul
You’ll often hear people who grew up eating Japanese food talk about miso soup as the ultimate comfort food. Although I didn’t grow up with it, I couldn’t agree more. It’s a wholesome, holistic take on comfort, one that soothes both with its deep, rich flavors and with its obvious nutritive benefits.
Adapted from JustHungry.com which is a great place to learn about Japanese food. Serves 2.
Ingredients:
- 1 4-inch-square piece kombu
- 4 cups cold water 1 handful bonito flakes
- 1/2 cup diced silken tofu
- 2 Tablespoons shiro miso paste
- Sliced scallions, for garnish
Optional: sliced wild mushrooms and baby spinach leaves, or really whatever else your little heart desires
Directions:
- Place the kombu in a medium pot. (You don’t need to rinse it, even if the package says you do because the white powder on the outside is full of umami.) Pour in the water. Let sit for at least 20 minutes, ideally overnight.
- Bring the water with the kombu in it to a boil. When it boils, turn down the heat and let it simmer very gently for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and add the bonito flakes. Let steep for 10 minutes, then strain the broth into a clean pot and return to a low boil. Ladle out about a quarter cup of the broth into a small bowl and reserve.
- If you are adding any ingredients that need to cook for more than a minute or so (mushrooms, for example, could use about 5 minutes to simmer), add them now. When they are nearly done, add the diced tofu and any other ingredients, such as baby spinach, that need just a few seconds of cooking.
- Into the small bowl of reserved broth, whisk in the miso paste with a fork until there are no lumps. Pour the miso mixture into the pot and stir to combine. Remove from the heat after just a few seconds—miso does not like to be overcooked. Ladle into bowls and serve.