Miso Recipe

Make kombu–shiitake dashi

Put 6 cups water, 10 g kombu and 4 dried shiitake mushrooms in a medium pot. Let them sit 15–20 minutes to begin rehydrating (or soak up to 1 hour if you have time).

Place pot over medium heat and slowly bring to just below a simmer. Just before it reaches a boil (small bubbles at edges), remove the kombu (discard or reserve for another use). Keep the shiitake in the pot and let the liquid simmer gently for 8–10 minutes so the shiitake soften and flavor the broth.

Remove the softened shiitake, reserve and slice them for later. Add 1 cup vegetable broth to the pot and return to a gentle simmer. Taste and add 1 tsp salt if needed, remembering miso will add salt later.

Finish with miso (do not boil)

When the soup is fully cooked and off the heat, ladle about 1 cup of hot broth into a small bowl and whisk in 4 tbs white miso paste until smooth. Stir the dissolved miso back into the pot. (Do not boil the soup after adding miso to preserve its flavor and probiotics.)

Sauté aromatics

While the dashi is simmering, heat 1 tbs sesame oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 tbs minced fresh ginger and sauté 30–60 seconds until fragrant (do not brown).

Add 1 tbs soy sauce and 1 tbs mirin to the skillet, stir for 15 seconds to combine, then pour the flavored aromatics into the simmering pot of dashi. Stir to distribute.

Add firmer vegetables and beans

Add 1 cup thinly sliced carrot, 2 cups drained cannellini beans, the sliced rehydrated shiitake, and 300 g cubed firm tofu to the simmering broth. Simmer gently 5–7 minutes, until the carrots are tender and tofu is heated through.

Add seaweed and greens

Stir in 2 tbs dried wakame (it will rehydrate quickly) and 2 cups chopped baby spinach (or bok choy leaves). Simmer another 1–2 minutes just until the greens are wilted.

Taste the soup and adjust seasoning if needed: add a little more soy sauce or 1/4–1/2 tsp salt if it needs brightness. Remove the pot from heat before adding the miso (if you haven't already dissolved and added it in the Broth & Base step).

Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish each bowl with thinly sliced green onions, 1 tbs toasted sesame seeds sprinkled across the batch, and 2 tbs chopped cilantro (or parsley).

Serve immediately while warm. If desired, offer extra soy sauce and a small dish of hot chili oil or shichimi togarashi at the table.