What is Miso?
Miso is simply fermented soybean, kōji and other add-ons like seaweed, barley and others. I find that when I use miso in dishes, it tends to give the dish depth through its umami flavor.
You can probably guess that Miso soup is made from miso paste, hot water and other ingredients. I find that the most flavorful miso soup is made from a dashi stock, miso paste, seaweed and toppings like scallion.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Miso paste
- 3 heaping Tbps of dried dashi
- 4 cups of water
- Soft tofu (a quarter of package should do the trick)
- Sprinkle of dried seaweed (wakame is my preferred)
Recipe
- Boil water on stove
- Once water is boiled, add seaweed and seap 3 tbsp of dried dashi for at least 10 minutes on medium low heat. (see below for tips on seaping)
- Take out the seaped dried dashi
- Add in soft tofu and cook for another 2 mins
- Turn off heat source and add in 3 Tbsp of miso paste and let dissolve in warm broth.
- Once miso paste is dissolved, add in sliced green onions and serve
Helpful Notes
- Seaping dried dashi can be used with a small netted scooper or tea bag. Dashi can also be found in granules that you can just throw in
- Yes, the seaped dried dashi can be used to feed your dog or cat! Likely other animals too, it’s just dried fish skin after all
- Feel free to customize add-ins like different varieties of seaweed and even mushrooms. For example, I’ve played around with Arame seaweed since it’s thin and subtle for chewing
The Journey
For this recipe, I used shitake mushrooms that my Grandma from Korea gifted me as an optional add in. It really amplified the flavor of the broth. I brought them over dried and hydrated them overnight.
Woody eating up the seaped dashi
Chopstick and Spoon 