Miso Soup

Miso Soup. A traditional Japanese soup with a savory umami flavor with soft tofu and seaweed. Ready in 10 minutes!

A popular savory soup in Japanese cuisine that is loved by many! Served at many Japanese restaurants, sometimes complimentary before a Japanese meal.

What does miso soup taste like?

The first time I had a bowl of miso soup at the Japanese Restaurant, I still remember how delicious and savory it was! The cloudy broth was so mesmerizing to look at.

Once you stirred it, the clouds of miso went away and become one with the stock. I'll never forget that flavorful broth with little cubes of tofu floating and the slippery taste of the seaweed.

My personal preference to enjoy a classic Japanese miso soup is with a bowl of rice with protein. I also love having extra seaweed in my some for the health benefits. It's such a simple dish in Japanese food that serves well as an easy weeknight dinner.

Easy Recipe

There are many miso soup recipes online and many varieties of miso soup! But this is a very popular way that takes 10 minutes to make in one pot! It also only requires 6 key ingredients. If you have a well stocked Asian pantry, you may already have these ingredients ready to go to make your own miso soup.

Miso Soup Ingredients

This recipe for miso tofu soup requires the below various ingredients. ***Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements***

• Yellow Miso, (aka Shinshu Miso): This is a fermented soybean paste. Asian grocery stores, some Western grocery stores or online retailers (like Amazon) will carry this type of miso. It's quite popular among the varieties and it's light yellow to light brown in color. Make sure to buy the reduced sodium version if you can find it.

• Dried kelp (aka kombu): These ocean leafy greens are popularly used in Japanese cooking to make homemade dashi. Asian or Japanese grocery stores or online retailers (like Amazon) will carry it. It looks like the below image. Do not wash the white salt content on the kelp. This contains a lot of flavor!

• Bonito flakes (aka smoked Skipjack Tuna): Bonito flakes are shavings of smoked Skipjack Tuna. It has a very pungent smell and a great ingredient for fish stock. Asian grocers or online retailers will carry this item.

• Dried Wakame seaweed: An ocean plant commonly used in Japanese dishes. It offers an umami and salty taste to the soup stock. Asian grocers or online retails will carry this ingredient.

• Soft tofu or silken tofu: Both varieties of tofu can be used in this classic miso soup. Soft or silken tofu has a very silky texture. Handle this ingredient with gentle care as it can easily break apart.
• Tip: The best way to slice it into small cubes is by using a very sharp pointed knife. Many Asian retailers and Western grocers will carry this type of tofu.

• Cold Water

How to make Miso Soup

Below are visuals to show you how to make homemade miso soup. ***Please scroll down to the recipe card below to find full instructions and details***

1. Slice soft tofu into small cubes.
2. In a small pot, add 2 ¼ cups water (cold), dried kelp and bonito flakes. Cover and bring to boil.
3. As soon as it boils, only remove kelp (as this leaves a bitter taste). Over very low heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Uncover, strain out bonito flakes using a sieve lined with a clean paper towel (to catch the finer flakes). This is your dashi stock. Pour remaining dashi broth back into pot.
5. Over medium heat, mix in miso until combined. Tip: a whisk is helpful.
6. Add dried seaweed. Stir to allow it to expand. Then add your cubed tofu.
7. Serve in a small bowl and enjoy hot!

Cooking Tips

Below are tips on making the best miso soup recipe:

Releasing tofu from packaging

Make a couple cuts into the plastic seal along the edges of the plastic white container. The seal will help hold the tofu in place as you then drain any excess water. Then completely remove the plastic seal.

On a cutting board, carefully flip the container over. Then using your sharp knife, on a bias, slice the corners off by just a bit. The holes will allow air into the container. Finally, gently lift the container off.

Slice soft tofu with a very sharp knife

This will ensure precise slices when you make your cubes. The cubes should be 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm.

Do not add dried kelp to boiling hot water

Instead add dried kelp kombu to cold water and then bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, remove the kombu immediately. If you boil the kombu it can leave a bitter taste. Remove each piece of kombu with chopsticks or kitchen tweezers.

Strain dashi stock using a fine sieve and paper towel

Sometimes the tiny bonito flakes will pass through the sieve into your stock. You won't have this issue if you buy the larger flakes. Therefore, lining the sieve with clean paper towel will ensure none pass through.

Use a whisk to mix miso into water

Once you add the miso into the hot dashi broth, the miso won't dissolve immediately. Use a whisk to mix your miso into the stock.

Allow the wakame seaweed to fully expand

This will take a couple minutes. You want the seaweed to be soft in texture and in taste.

Add tofu last

Since tofu doesn't require cooking, you can add this ingredient at the end after the seaweed has expanded. If you add it before with the miso and dried seaweed, the mixing motion will break apart the tofu cubes.

FAQ

Below are frequently asked questions about this miso soup recipe:

How long will miso soup last for?

If you store it in an airtight container in the fridge, it will last 4-5 days after being re-boiled over medium-high heat.

Where can I buy these ingredients?

The Asian market will most likely carry the following ingredients or they can be found online on Amazon:

• yellow miso paste, reduced sodium version
• silken tofu or soft tofu
• kombu kelp
• dried wakame seaweed

How to Store Miso?

It should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last up to 9 months if it's a light variety or 1 year if it's a darker type. Best to check the expiration date.

Can I use nori as a substitute for the dried Wakame seaweed?

No, I wouldn't suggest it as it'll disintegrate into the soup. Wakame seaweed can be found online if you don’t live by an Asian market.

Should I add soy sauce to season my soup?

I wouldn't recommend unless you've added less miso than the recipe suggests. The soup is very salty as it is.

Can I just use instant dashi powder or dashi granules to make the stock?

Sure, but the taste of miso soup won't be as flavorful when you make the stock from scratch. Dashi stock only requires two additional ingredients to hot water: bonito flakes and dried kelp.

Are there different types of miso paste?

Yes, there are many varieties of miso available. But the three main types are:

• White Miso Paste (Shiro Miso): it's also known as sweet miso as it's fermented for a shorter time and it's lower in sodium. It's mild in miso flavor and is very versatile. Commonly used in soups, sauces or dressings for salad.
• Yellow Miso Paste (Shinshu Miso): Mild in taste as well but fermented for a slightly longer time than White Miso. It has a light yellow to light brown color and used in soups for instance. This is the version we're using.
• Red Miso Paste (Aka Miso): Pungent and more flavorful. It's saltier than the above types and is a reddish or a maroon color. Due to its strong flavor, it's best to use in small amounts. Commonly, it's also used in rich soups, marinades, glazes and braises.

Other types include:

• Barley Miso
• Soybean Miso

Is miso soup healthy?

Yes! It is high in sodium but this soup is packed with health benefits. The dried seaweed is a great source of iodine, which helps with Thyroid health according to this article by Healthline.com. It also contains antioxidants to help the immune system.

Is miso soup gluten free?

Yes! Miso soup is completely gluten free.

What is miso soup usually made of?

It's typically made of dashi stock, miso paste, soft tofu and dried seaweed. It's a very popular soup dish well loved by Japanese people. Sometimes, it's served complimentary at the start of a Japanese meal.

How else can I use miso paste?

Miso is a great ingredient to make salad dressings, in glazes for fish, in marinades, or sauces!

Other Soup recipes you may like!

If you enjoyed this Japanese miso soup recipe, you may liked these other recipes:

Instant Pot Chinese Watercress Soup
Chicken Barley Vegetable Soup
Vegan Potato Vegetable Soup

I hope you give my Miso Soup a try and enjoy it!

If you enjoyed my Miso Soup, please leave a star rating and share it with your family and friends or on social media! Take a picture of your re-creation and make sure to tag me @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories as I would love to see it!

Christie

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