Sticky rice, spicy salmon, fresh vegetables, fiery wasabi, and salty soy sauce. And don’t even get me started on pickled ginger. Wasabi + soy + ginger = flavor bomb. I can barely handle it. Needless to say, John and I have put sushi on heavy rotation in our eating out options.
It’s so warm and comforting and savory, with perfect little bites of tofu and seaweed in every scoop. Up until now I’ve reserved miso for times when we go out to eat. But when I was feeling a little under the weather recently, miso sounded soooo good to my achy stomach. That, along with a strong sushi craving, inspired me to create some of my own.
Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup that starts with a dashi stock and is flavored with miso paste. Dashi is an umami-rich stock made from dried seaweed and dried fish. Miso paste, meanwhile, is a paste made from soybeans, salt, and koji rice. The brothy soup usually contains tofu and green onions.
How to Make Miso Soup
Traditionally, miso soup begins with a broth called “dashi,” made by soaking seaweed such as kombu in water and cooking with bonito flakes (flakes of dried fermented fish). Learn how to make your own here! However, ours is plant-based and made with vegetable broth, which is not traditional but it’s what we always have on hand.
What is Miso Soup?
Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup made primarily of miso paste, dashi (broth), and additional ingredients such as vegetables, seaweed, and tofu.
Miso Soup Recipe | Best of Japanese Cooking 101
FAQ
What is miso soup broth made of?
What does miso broth taste like?
What is miso made of?
Is miso soup just miso and water?
What is miso soup made of?
The base of traditional miso soup is a simple combination of dashi and miso. Dashi is a basic Japanese soup stock, made with dried bonito flakes, kelp and anchovy. Dashi is used extensively in Japanese cooking. Miso is a fermented paste created from a mixture of soybeans, sea salt and rice koji.
What happens if you add miso paste straight to broth?
If you add miso paste straight to the broth, it will be difficult to break up and there will be large lumps of miso in your soup. This can also make the overall taste of the soup weaker because the miso paste is not evenly distributed throughout the broth.
What is red miso made of?
It’s made with less soybean content and more grains, like white rice. Red or dark miso ranges in color from light brown to almost black and is fermented for longer for a stronger, funkier, and saltier flavor. This miso is made with a higher proportion of soybeans and salt for an intense experience.
How is miso paste made?
Miso paste is made through a two-step fermentation process. First, a grain—typically rice or barley, but sometimes soybeans—is combined with a mold called Aspergillus oryzae to create koji.