Miso Soup Recipe

Make dashi (quick)

Pour 4 cups of cold water into a medium saucepan. Stir in 1 tsp instant dashi granules until dissolved and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Make dashi (from bonito, optional)

If using bonito flakes, bring 4 cups water to a near-simmer, add 1/2 cup bonito flakes, turn off heat and steep 5 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth back into the saucepan and discard flakes. Return strained broth to low heat. (Skip this step if you used instant dashi.)

Once the dashi is simmering gently (not boiling), reduce heat to low. Place 3 tbsp white miso paste in a small bowl. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot dashi into the bowl and whisk or stir until the miso is fully dissolved and smooth — this is called a miso slurry.

Stir the miso slurry back into the saucepan with the rest of the dashi. Keep the soup at low heat; do not boil after adding miso to preserve flavor and probiotics. Add 1/2 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp mirin if using, and taste; adjust seasoning as desired.

Prepare wakame: if using dried wakame (1 tsp), place it in a small bowl of warm water for 3–5 minutes to rehydrate, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Add rehydrated wakame to the pot.

Add 4 oz cubed silken or soft tofu to the pot gently so cubes hold shape. Add sliced shiitake mushrooms (2 pieces) and simmer on low for 2–3 minutes until mushrooms are tender and tofu is warmed through.

Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with a tiny pinch more miso or a drop more soy sauce if needed. Keep heat low and avoid boiling.

Ladle miso soup into bowls. Sprinkle thinly sliced green onions (1 tbsp) over each bowl and add a light dusting of toasted sesame seeds (1/2 tsp) and/or shichimi togarashi (1/4 tsp) if desired. Serve immediately.