Maybe you're still feeling a little full post-Thanksgiving. Maybe you have chilly-weather sniffles. And/or maybe you just love warming, nourishing delicious soup. No matter the reason - this is the soup to make, now. Beautifully murky miso soup is a favored offering at Japanese restaurants, but don't wait until you're out to eat to have it - make it yourself, and you'll never look back. And this recipe includes more vegetables (way more scallions! KALE! carrots! mushrooms!) for a heartier, more satisfying bowl. Low maintenance, high flavor.Note: The brand of miso you use will impact the overall flavor, so try different brands until you find one you like. Also, you can use just about any seaweed in here. Wakame is particularly great - it adds that signature brininess to the broth that marries with the miso so well. And like many sea vegetables, wakame is full of important nutrients.Recipe: Hearty Miso Soup (makes about 4 servings)What You Need
- 9 cups water
- 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp low-sodium tamari/soy sauce
- 2 pieces dried wakame seaweed, cut or broken into small pieces
- 8-10 baby portabello mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (cut off and discard the first 2 inches of green, and then use until about 1 inch from the bottom)
- 7 oz tofu (soft if you can drain and press it well, otherwise firm)
- 3-4 cups finely chopped kale
- 1/4 + 1/8 c miso (I used Miso Master's organic brown rice miso)
- sambal hot sauce, to taste
- optional: cooked sweet/sticky brown rice or a light noodle (rice, vermicelli, mung bean)
What You Do
- Heat water in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Stir in tamari and add carrots. Cook (no higher than a simmer) until the carrots are tender.
- Add seaweed and mushrooms and cook another 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms tenderize and seaweed is re-hydrated.
- Stir in miso until no more clumps exist, simmering for 2-3 minutes.
- Add kale, scallions and tofu, cooking until the kale is just tender.
- Ladle into individual serving bowls, adding rice or noodles if using, and a dollop of sambal if you like some heat. Inhale the savory steam and devour!
