Miso Soup Recipe

Prepare kombu

Wipe kombu with a damp cloth to remove any dirt (do not wipe off the white powder). Place kombu and 4 cups water in a medium saucepan and let soak for 20–30 minutes if you have time (optional).

Heat kombu

Put the saucepan over medium heat and slowly bring to just below a simmer. Remove kombu right before the water reaches a simmer (small bubbles around edges), about 8–10 minutes. Leaving kombu in boiling water can make the dashi bitter.

Add bonito

Once kombu is removed, bring the water to a gentle simmer and add the bonito flakes. Let simmer for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then turn off the heat and let the bonito steep for 5 minutes.

Strain dashi

Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean saucepan or bowl, pressing gently on the flakes to extract flavor but not grinding them. Discard or repurpose used kombu and bonito flakes (they can be used in stock or as furikake). If using instant dashi granules instead of kombu/bonito, dissolve 1 tsp granules in 4 cups hot water and skip the above steps.

Heat dashi

Return the strained dashi to the stove and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Do not let it boil vigorously.

Prepare tofu, wakame, and mushrooms

If using dried wakame, briefly soak it in cold water for 5 minutes to rehydrate, then drain and squeeze out excess water and chop if pieces are large. If using fresh wakame, just chop. Cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. If using shiitake, slice thinly.

Add mushrooms and tofu

Add sliced shiitake (if using) to the simmering dashi and cook 1–2 minutes until slightly softened. Carefully add tofu cubes and rehydrated wakame and simmer gently 1–2 minutes to heat through. Keep heat low so the soup does not boil.

Dissolve miso

Place the miso paste in a small bowl or ladle. Ladle about 1/2 cup of hot dashi into the bowl and whisk or stir until the miso is completely smooth. This prevents clumps and protects miso's delicate flavors from boiling.

Incorporate miso into soup

Stir the miso slurry back into the pot of dashi and tofu, then remove the pot from heat. Keep the soup just below a simmer — do not boil after adding miso or the flavor and beneficial enzymes will degrade.

Season and finish

Taste the soup and, if desired, add up to 1 tsp soy sauce for extra umami or saltiness. Add sliced green onions just before serving so they stay bright and mildly crisp.

Serve

Ladle the miso soup into bowls, making sure each bowl gets tofu, wakame and green onion. Serve immediately while warm.