Miso Soup

Miso soup has started every sushi meal I have eaten. It's a mild, nourishing, clean and satisfying soup. It's easy to make an acceptable version at home.

It's made in two steps- dashi, or an oceanic broth of dried seaweed or kelp and bonito, which is shaved dried fish- and then the addition of miso and a couple of other ingredients to change it from broth to soup. Other than never boiling miso, there's really nowhere to go wrong.

I purchased the exotic imported ingredients at Lotus Food in Pittsburgh's colorful Strip District. The miso came in a fairly large pack, but apparently keeps indefinitely in the fridge. (I intend to make a "miso-glazed" salmon soon-- similar to Morimoto's miso-glazed black cod.) The bonito came in a "five pack" for $5.

Ingredients:
Water dried seaweed bonito
Miso Tofu green onion


Recipe:

Bring six cups water to boil. Add dried seaweed and simmer for 15 minutes; drain.

Add small package (2 oz?) bonito and simmer for 20 minutes; drain.

Add half a cup of hot broth to about 1/4 cup of miso; stir to dissolve, and then mix this back into the broth.

Add half a package of tofu, chopped into 1/2" cubes, into the hot broth and let heat through. Add one finely chopped green onion. Simmer- do not let boil- for a few minutes to blend flavors.


Options: I added a couple of finely chopped shitake mushrooms and some chopped "sushi seaweed"- the kind you use to make rolls.

It tasted like the miso soup you get in restaurants.