On my last trip to the grocery, I've found a miso paste on the imported goods aisle. Actually, I've been looking for it at the grocery earlier this year but can't find any. Lucky that it was available when I did my grocery shopping this month.
I read it was very easy to prepare but what interests me was seeing it being present on Japanese meals. There are documentaries about the daily lives of Japanese people and I always see them preparing miso soup on breakfast or dinner.
I wonder what this soup tastes like? I want to try it too! So I got the ingredients, except for the wakame seaweed, maybe next time I'll try it with the seaweed.
The Miso paste is made of fermented soybeans and other spices. It's thick and dissolves in water. Being the key ingredient for the miso soup, it is packed with vitamins, minerals, and probiotics. It also supports the gut health and also a source for protein through tofu. People consider it as a healthy soup.
Another ingredient for making the Miso Soup is the Dashi. Dashi's main ingredients are kombu (kelp seaweed) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). What it does to the miso soup is enhance its flavor and provides an umami taste.
So let's begin making the Miso Soup! First, we begin with the ingredients:
• 1/4 Cup + 2 Tsps Miso Paste
• 1 1/2 Tsp Dashi Powder
• 8 Cups Water
• 1 Block of Tofu (diced)
• Onion Leaves (sliced)
• Bok Choy
#1 In a pot, boil the water. When it begins to boil, add the dashi powder. Continue mixing it until the powder has dissolved completely.
I used this Ajinomoto hondashi powder. I'm not sure if what I read was true that this hondashi powder from ajinomoto was artificial. If you can find one that only says "dashi", then that might be probably better.
#2 After dissolving the dashi powder, add the tofu, bok choy, and onion leaves.
#3 On a bowl, put the miso paste and scoop 1/2 Cup Water from the boiling soup. Use the water to dissolve the miso paste.
This is the miso paste I used.
#4 When the miso paste have completely mixed with the water, pour it into the pot. Taste the soup and remember that you can always adjust the taste by adding more miso paste if it tastes too bland.
#5 Mix and turn off heat. And you're done! That easy!
It's that easy, right? It's just dissolving powder and paste into water and adding some ingredients. Unfortunately, I don't have the wakame seaweed. Anyway, it's just an add-on. You can actually add whatever you like in it. What's important is the soup base.
The taste and texture of the miso soup is light. I can't fully describe it as it's new to my palate. It's not that bad, actually, and I quickly adjusted to the taste. I've tasted natto before which is also a fermented soybean and if my palate recalls it correctly, they kind of taste similar. That's the best way I can describe this soup.
Have you tried making miso soup? Or perhaps have tasted it?
