Miso Soup (Miso Shiru)

Japanese miso soup recipe with tofu & seaweed soup stock

Seaweed broth, made with kelp or kombu, is the traditional and essential basis of miso soup. Kelp is a good source of Fiber, Vit C, K, Pantothenic Acid, Zinc, Copper, Riboflavin, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Manganese.

We're sure that seaweed broth or soup stock is also very nutritious, but it isn't included in the nutritional analysis. Don't let that stop you from using kombu to enhance the flavor and nutrition of this or any other broth or soup stock.

Total prep & cook time: 60 min, including broth

6 Servings

Nutrition Data Per Serving, 126g: 84 cal, 9g carb, 3g fat, 576mg sodium, 2g fiber, 6g protein, low cholesterol, good source Thiamin, Niacin, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Copper, Vit K. Estimated glycemic load 5

Seaweed Broth Ingredients:

• 1 - 3 pieces (3 - 4 oz) dried kelp (dashi kombu)
• 8 cups water
• 1 Tbsp vegetable or seaweed base (flavor enhancer or bouillon cube)

Miso Soup Ingredients:

• 5 - 6 cups Seaweed Broth (dashi)
• 1/3 cup white miso (shiro miso), or more to taste
• 2 cups very thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, tough stems removed

• 1/2 cup mirin (cooking sake: optional)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable base (flavor enhancer or bouillon)
• 1 1/2 cups (1 lb) finely diced silken tofu
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions, both green and white parts
• 1/4 cup shredded (cut into fine strips) sushi nori

Broth Directions:

1. Wipe the kelp clean with damp paper towels (or rinse, then wipe)
2. Combine the water and kelp in a pot and let stand for 30 minutes
3. Bring to just a simmer over medium heat (do not bring to a rolling boil)
4. Simmer for 10 - 12 minutes
5. Remove the kelp using a wire strainer or tongs and discard
6. Stir the vegetable base or bouillon cube into the broth

Soup Directions:

1. Heat the broth to almost boiling
2. Put the miso into a ladle or small bowl, and add some broth to it
3. Stir to dilute, and then gradually stir the softened miso into the broth
4. Add the mushrooms, optional mirin, and vegetable base
5. Cook for 3 minutes
6. Distribute the tofu, green onions, and nori among serving bowls
7. Ladle the soup into each bowl and serve

Recipe Tips:

You can substitute any vegetable in miso soup, but author Chat Mingkwan recommends that you consider their cooking times and flavors so that all the ingredients harmonize. A nice combination: finely sliced Chinese cabbage, shredded carrot, minced cilantro or parsley

I made 1/3 the recipe and it worked great. If you want to eat miso soup often, make the full recipe of broth and keep it in the fridge for a few days.

To make this miso soup a light meal, add ramen or rice noodles to simmer with the vegetables. Discard any flavor packages.

I didn't use cooking sake (mirin), because our tummies don't like wine, and it is expensive. The miso soup is delicious without it.

I used an unsalted vegan bouillon cube for the broth. Since it was already added to the broth, we thought it wasn't necessary to add a bouillon cube to the soup.

Most of the ingredients for this soup can be found in the Asian section of any large grocery store or natural food store. Miso is refrigerated. We couldn't find white miso, so we added barley miso, which gave it a darker color and stronger flavor - which was more than fine. More miso info

Scissors are best for cutting the nori into thin strips. We suggest adding the tofu to the broth a minute before serving to let it get hot, otherwise it cools down the soup.