Miso soup is one of the favorite soups among Japanese. It is available in all Japanese restaurants and served as first course of any meal. It is popular due to its silken texture and light broth. The miso soup is very nutritious, healthy and light. You can make miso soup in many different ways, most common among them is the one that is made with dashi stock as base. A good dashi stock is the channel to make a perfect miso soup. Here is a recipe which is very easy and quick to prepare which you can try in your own kitchen. Read on to learn how you can go about making this dish.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 30 minutes
Resources Required:
- 2 to 3 tablespoon of miso paste
- 3 ounces of dried soba noodles
- Dashi soup stock
- 6 stems of spinach
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions:
1. Cooking soba noodles
Boil 4 to 5 cups of water in a wide mouth pan and add 2 pinches of salt to it. Put 3 ounces of dried soba noodles into the boiling water. Once it is cooked, drain the hot water out and put some cold water to stop the noodles from cooking any further. Drain out the water again. You can also use a wide mouthed strainer to throw out the extra water. Put the strainer under cold running water to stop the noddles from cooking any further. Set aside the boiled noodles.
2. Making soup stock and addition of tofu
In a sauce pan, pour 4 cups of water and add dashi soup stock and allow it to boil. Now add tofu (chopped into 1/3 inch cubes) to the pan, simmer it for 5 minutes and then remove from heat.
3. Whisking miso paste
Take a small bowl and put miso paste in it. Take out some soup stock with the help of a ladle and pour it into the bowl. Whisk the paste with the soup stock till it thins and then add it gradually back to the sauce pan. You should continuously stir the soup for smooth silky texture. When it is mixed properly, remove it from heat and let it cool for few minutes.
4. Seasoning
Chop the top of the green onion and thinly slice it. Wash the spinach thoroughly, trim the stems and chop the leaves into small pieces. Now, add both sliced green onions and chopped spinach into the soup. Add red pepper flakes and cilantro into the soup.
5. Serving
Divide the soba noddles into three bowls equally and pour the miso soup over it before serving. Serve it hot with chopsticks to eat the chunks and a spoon to drink the soup.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Is there only one way to prepare miso soup?
There are various ways to prepare miso soup and different people follow different recipes. However, this recipe is among the most basic ways to prepare miso soup.
2. For how long can the miso paste be stored?
You can store the miso paste in your refrigerator for almost an year.
Quick Tips:
- Add 2-3 drops of oil in salt water when boiling the noodles. This prohibits the noodles to stick with each other.
- Some miso pastes are less salty so taste the soup before serving as your soup may require a little more salt.
- Use firm tofus in your dish as the soft ones are not easy to eat with the chopstick.
- There are red, white and black colors of miso paste available in the market and you can choose one according to your taste.
Things To Watch Out For:
- Whisking miso paste with soup stock or boiling water is important to avoid clumping. So, do not add the paste directly to the boiling water.
- Do not boil the soup after adding miso paste to it.
