Miso Soup Recipe

Rehydrate wakame

Place the dried wakame in a small bowl and cover with 2 tablespoons of warm water. Let soak for 5–7 minutes until expanded, then drain and gently squeeze out excess water. Chop into bite-size pieces if large.

Prepare tofu

Drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) cubes. Keep chilled until ready to add.

Slice green onions

Trim the root ends of the green onions and slice thinly on the bias into 1/8–1/4 inch rounds. Separate whites and greens if you prefer to add whites earlier.

In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

If using instant dashi granules, stir in 1 tsp dashi into the simmering water until fully dissolved. If using pre-made dashi stock, use it in place of the water and skip the granules.

Reduce heat to low so the liquid is hot but not boiling. Place the 3 tablespoons of white miso paste in a small bowl or ladle. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot dashi into the bowl and whisk (or stir with chopsticks) until smooth and fully dissolved to make a miso slurry.

Pour the miso slurry back into the saucepan, stirring gently. Keep the heat low – do not boil the soup after adding miso or it will lose flavor and beneficial enzymes.

Add the cubed tofu and rehydrated wakame to the pot. Warm gently for 1–2 minutes until tofu is heated through and wakame is warmed.

Taste and adjust seasoning. If desired, stir in up to 1 tsp soy sauce for saltiness, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil for aroma, and a pinch of white pepper. Do not over-salt; miso and dashi already provide savory flavor.

Turn off the heat. Stir in most of the sliced green onions (reserve a few for garnish).

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining green onions. Serve immediately.