World Flavors Cookbook

Miso Shiru (Miso Soup)

Japan's most essential soup — a delicate dashi broth enriched with fermented miso paste, silken tofu, wakame seaweed, and thinly sliced scallions. Served at nearly every Japanese meal.

Cuisine: Japan

Ingredients

• 800ml dashi stock (from kombu and katsuobushi)
• 3 tbsp white or red miso paste (or a blend)
• 150g silken tofu, cubed
• 2 tbsp dried wakame seaweed
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Optional: enoki mushrooms, aburaage (fried tofu)

Instructions

1. Make dashi: soak kombu in water 30 minutes, heat gently, remove before boiling. Add katsuobushi flakes, steep 5 minutes, strain.
2. Soak wakame in cold water for 5 minutes, drain.
3. Bring dashi to a gentle simmer. Add tofu and wakame.
4. Place miso in a ladle, lower into broth, and whisk to dissolve. Never boil after adding miso — it kills the beneficial bacteria and dulls the flavor.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with scallions.