Simple Miso Soup

You can vary the kinds of miso you use, or combine different kinds. In fact, you can vary just about everything with this recipe! I usually aim for 2 main ingredients plus a garnish, in addition to the dashi and miso. Some other ingredients I especially like include thinly sliced carrot or daikon, cut into seasonally-appropriate shapes with mini-cookie cutters (like flowers or leaves), thinly sliced mushrooms, enoki-take mushrooms, wheat gluten (available in small balls or other shapes at Asian groceries), and sansho pepper. The wakame, tofu, and green onions are our favorite, though.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3  cups water
• 1  teaspoon  instant dashi stock (granules)
• 1 -2  tablespoon miso (I like a mix of about 4 parts red to 1 part white)
• 2 -3  tablespoons  dried  wakame seaweed (sea vegetable)
• 1⁄2 cup  diced tofu (I like kinugoshi, silken tofu)
• 2 -4  tablespoons  very thinly sliced green onions

Directions

1. Place water and dashi granules in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until dashi is dissolved.
2. Add wakame and simmer until wakame is rehydrated (about 3-5 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, place tofu in 4 small bowls (preferably Japanese soup bowls that have lids).
4. When wakame is tender, remove soup from heat. Place miso into a small, shallow bowl or dish and add a small amount of broth. Blend into the miso. Repeat until miso mixture is somewhat runny and well mixed with the broth.
5. Add miso to soup and stir. Return to heat briefly just until very hot (do not boil miso).
6. Pour over tofu in bowls, garnish with green onion, cover and serve immediately. Miso soup should be served very hot.