Miso Soup with shiitake and wakame

Miso soup is a traditional recipe from Japanese cuisine and we can find several ways to make it. It could be added a large amount of ingredients, but all recipes have two ingredients in common; broth base plain, that could be made it with konbu, shiitake, katsuobushi or a combination of them, and miso in any of its varieties.

The recipe that I share with you is from Hideo Dekura from his book “Sushi, Sashimi, Teriyaki and Tempura“. I have made a small change, I use katsuobushi and konbu broth and Hideo uses katsuo broth. I had some broth frozen from the last time. And I don’t use tofu because I don´t like it too much… Instead I use mushrooms, which I love!

Miso is a fermented food very powerful for our health and nutritional status. In this post I talked you about it, but I have to make a more extensive post about this incredible food that I consider it must be present in our diet.

Elaboration is really easy and fast, if we have made broth in advance. You only must keep in mind some considerations:

• Broth to make this soup could be from shiitake, konbu, katsuobushi or one combination of them. In all cases, results will be amazing. I recommend you, if it possible, make homemade broth. I know you can find in stores dried dashi powder… but always is better make it, this is the best way to know every ingredient.
• You can use the type of miso that you prefer or love. In this recipe I have used two types; white and red miso. You can use only one of them or hatsho miso instead. You mustn’t add miso at the beginning because miso will lost its beneficial enzymes  and other microorganisms. Hideo Dekura says that if you warm miso too much, it will lost its umami. So you have to ladle some broth and mix in a bowl with miso, stir to dissolve and then return the mixture to the pot.
• Wakame seaweed you can omit it if you don´t like it. But you will lost an incredible healthy ingredient… in my humble opinion. Some recipes hydrate them before in water, I made it this way some time ago, but now I hydrate them in the soup.
• Shiitake can be used fresh or dried. Today is easy to find it in markets, I think it is a good choice. You must know: If you use fresh shiitake you will enjoy a better texture but if you use dried shiitake, flavor will be more intense.
• I like too much this type of mushroom, but you can omit it if you want.
• Schichimi togarashi is a traditional Japanese condiment make it with seven spices: pepper, black and white sesame, orange peel, nori seaweed powder, Japanese pepper (sansho) and ginger. Add a special taste.

MISO SOUP 2-4 SERVES:

Serves will depend the final amount you prefer.

FOR THE MISO SOUP:

• 22.9 oz (650 g) dashi, recipe below
• 2 Tbsp shiro miso, white miso
• 2 Tbsp aka miso, red miso
• 1 Tbsp Mirin

DASHI BROTH:

• 33.80 fl oz (1 l.) water
• 0.70 oz (20 g) dried seaweed konbu
• 1 oz (30 g) katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

TO SERVE:

• 4 fresh shiitake
• 6-8 mushrooms
• 2 scallions
• chives
• 1/4 tsp dried wakame seaweed
• sesame
• a pinch shichimi togarashi

INSTRUCTIONS:

Make dashi broth.

1. Wash konbu and hydrate in water for 25 minutes.
2. Pour water in a medium pot with konbu and set over medium heat. Let cook until water begins to boil.
3. Remove the konbu from the water just before it comes to a full boil and add katsuobushi. Continue simmering for about 10 minutes. Clean the foam surface with a spoon.
4. Remove from the heat and let sit until bonito flakes begin to go down.
5. Strain the broth and set aside.
6. Broth can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months.

Prepare ingredients for the miso soup.

1. Slice thinly scallions and chives, set aside.

Make miso soup.

1. Wash and clean shiitake and mushrooms. Remove any tough spots on the stems.
2. In a medium pot pour dashi broth with shiitake and mushrooms, set over medium heat for 7-8 minutes. It must simmer.
3. While, in a small bowl add two types of miso with Mirin. Dissolve with some dashi broth.
4. Before 1-2 minutes simmering finished, add wakame seaweed.
5. Remove from the heat and pour miso mixture, stir until combined.
6. Let sit 1-2 minutes and serve.

Serve miso soup…

Pour the soup into the bowls with mushrooms and wakame. Sprinkle with chives, scallions, sesame and a pinch of schichimi.

This is a common soup at home, mostly in our suppers. It is easy and quick to make, if we have made broth in advance, and has many benefits. I love how it tastes! You really may try it at home if you have never made it before.

Have a nice week!

Big hugs,
Eva

Sources: The Miso Book: The art of cooking with miso.