Megs Perfect Shiromiso Recipe!

June 15, 2009

Hello dominoes, I hope the dashi masterclass paid off because today I'm going to tell you how to make Miso Soup or “misoshiru” in Japanese and one of the key ingredients to this one is Niban Dashi which was Part 2 of my dashi masterclass.

So lets get started, the miso that I'm going to explain how to make today is the most basic form of miso soup which I thought would be ideal for a first attempt. However if you want to add any additional garnishes then feel free, popular garnishes for miso soup are; Tofu cubes, wakame, or even nameko mushrooms. If you prefer a more substantial soup I would recommend packing it full of vegetables! You could add carrots, potato, cabbage, literally any seasonal vegetable of your choice and allow them to simmer until tender, each ingredient will add a new layer of flavour.

The whole aim of this soup is for it to be flavoursome but light and healthy at the same time, it is a firm favourite in Japan and I'm sure once you have made your own you will see why!

Ingredients:

• 1 Litre of Niban Dashi (see part 2 of Miso Megs Dashi Masterclass)
• 3 tablespoons of Shiro Miso (also known as white miso or light miso)
• 2-3 Tablespoons of aka Miso (aka means red in Japanese)
• 2 Spring onions (use the green part only and chop finely), this is optional
• Tablespoon of dried wakame
• 350g of firm tofu

Method

1. Firstly, take your dashi and place it in a saucepan over  medium-high heat and bring it almost (but not quite!) to the boil, then combine a little bit of the dashi with the miso in a small cup or bowl and whisk it until it is smooth.
2. When the miso and liquid combination is smooth you need to stir the mixture into the pan and allow to come to a simmer.
3. Add optional veg here and simmer through
4. Add wakame and tofu.
5. When the mixture has simmered for 2 mins you should ladle the soup into small bowls and serve sprinkled with the spring onion, if desired.

It really is as simple as that, if you are new to miso there are a variety of misos you can buy to see which one suits your tastes, most popular are Shiro (Basic white Miso) and Aka (Red Miso) but there are many more. Try experimenting with different misos and blends of them to fine tune to your taste.

There are also a variety of instant miso soups in our online shop if you dont want to make your own or if you just want to take your miso to work as a snack. Now go get mad for miso!

Article By Miso Meg

Image by Peter Jan Haas

Find these ingredients in our shop:

Shiro Miso Paste
Aka Miso Paste
Dried Wakame
Firm Tofu
Instant Dashi 
Bonito Flakes
Kombu
Instant Miso Soup