Truffle & Mushroom Miso Soup Recipe

Make kombu dashi

Put 6 cups cold water and the kombu in a medium saucepan. Let sit 20–30 minutes (or proceed immediately if short on time). Slowly heat over medium until very nearly simmering (small bubbles at edges), about 8–10 minutes. Remove kombu just before the water reaches a simmer.

Add bonito

Once kombu is removed, bring to a gentle simmer, remove from heat, add bonito flakes, stir once, and let steep 3–4 minutes until flakes sink. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot or bowl, pressing gently to extract liquid. Discard solids. Return strained dashi to the saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

Incorporate miso

Place white miso and red miso (if using) in a small bowl. Ladle 1/2 cup of warm dashi into the miso and whisk until smooth to make a miso slurry. Remove the pot from direct heat (do not boil miso). Stir the miso slurry back into the warm dashi until fully incorporated. Keep the broth on the lowest heat — it should not boil after miso is added.

Sauté mushrooms & aromatics

In a small sauté pan, heat 1 tsp neutral oil over medium heat. Add minced shallot and garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Add sliced shiitake and cremini mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sauté 4–6 minutes until the mushrooms release liquid and begin to brown at the edges. Add enoki mushrooms in the last 1 minute of cooking; toss to wilt. Remove from heat.

Combine with broth

Transfer the sautéed mushrooms into the warm miso broth. Stir to combine and let steep on the lowest heat 2–3 minutes so mushroom flavors infuse the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning with up to 1/2 tsp more salt if needed (remember truffle oil is strong).

Add tofu and greens

Gently add the cubed tofu to the soup and warm through for 1–2 minutes on the lowest heat — do not boil. If using spinach or shiso, briefly submerge leaves until just wilted (15–30 seconds).

Finish & season

Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle each bowl with a few drops (about 1/4 tsp) of truffle oil and place thin shavings of fresh truffle on top (divide evenly). Sprinkle sliced scallions, chives, and toasted sesame seeds over each bowl. Finish with a light grind of black pepper. Taste one bowl and add additional sea salt if desired.

Serve

Serve immediately while warm. Encourage diners to stir the truffle shavings into the hot broth to distribute aroma. Leftover soup can be stored refrigerated without truffle oil or fresh truffle for up to 2 days; reheat gently and add truffle just before serving.