Name: Secret Sauces Miso Soup Recipe
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 4 cups water; 1 piece kombu (dried kelp); 1.5 cups bonito flakes (katsuobushi); 3 tbs white miso paste; 7 oz firm tofu (silken or medium-firm), cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 2 tsp wakame (dried seaweed); 2 tbs green onions (scallions), thinly sliced; 0.5 tsp soy sauce (optional, to taste); 2 tbsp water (extra, for rehydrating wakame); 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds; 0.25 tsp shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice)

Method

Dashi (Broth)

Prepare kombu

Wipe the kombu lightly with a damp cloth to remove any dust (do not wash vigorously — keep the white powder for umami). Place the kombu in a medium saucepan with 4 cups of cold water and let soak for 20–30 minutes if you have time (optional, improves flavor).

Heat and remove kombu

After soaking (or immediately if short on time), place the saucepan over medium heat. Slowly bring to just below a simmer (small bubbles appear around the edges) — do not let the water boil. Just before it starts boiling (about 5–8 minutes), remove the kombu and discard or reserve for another use.

Add bonito flakes

Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, then add the bonito flakes. Turn off the heat immediately and let the bonito flakes steep for 2–3 minutes until they sink.

Strain dashi

Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl or back into the saucepan, pressing gently on the bonito to extract flavor. Discard the used bonito flakes. You should have roughly 3.5–4 cups of clear dashi broth.

Soup

Rehydrate wakame

Place the dried wakame in a small bowl with the 2 tbsp extra water and let sit for 5 minutes until expanded. Drain any excess water and roughly chop if the pieces are large.

Heat dashi

Return the strained dashi to low–medium heat in the saucepan until it is warm but not boiling.

Prepare miso slurry

Scoop about 1/2 cup of the warm dashi into a small bowl. Add the 3 tbs white miso paste and whisk or stir until completely smooth to create a miso slurry. This prevents lumps and protects miso’s beneficial enzymes by avoiding boiling it directly.

Add tofu and wakame

Gently add the cubed tofu and rehydrated wakame to the warm dashi. Heat for 1–2 minutes just to warm the tofu through; do not boil vigorously.

Incorporate miso

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir the miso slurry into the pot, mixing gently until evenly distributed. Taste and add up to 1/2 tsp soy sauce if additional salt/umami is desired.

Finish with scallions

Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle the thinly sliced green onions over each serving.

Garnish (optional)

If desired, finish each bowl with a light sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and/or a pinch of shichimi togarashi for heat.