How To Make Miso Soup With Most Any Veggies
Ever get overloaded with veggies in your fridge? But not looking to do a whole lotta cooking?
Maybe you’re a CSA member who has gotten a little behind or have a large garden or just over bought at the grocery store.
This happens to me often! And I just love the feeling of cleaning out the fridge. It’s kinda like the feeling of checking off your entire to-do list!
But I'm not always in the mood to get this "high" feeling from doing lots of work in the kitchen. I'm tired sometimes, and maybe you understand? ;)
So if you’re like me and in the market for something EASY and TASTY to help ease a build up of veggies in your fridge, try making a miso soup!
But, what is miso?
Miso is a traditional paste made with fermented soybeans and a grain like rice or other grains. It has a pleasant salty, sour, rich earthy flavor that is so good with broth! Maybe you’re like I was a few years ago and have never heard of it before, or maybe you’ve been lucky to try it at a sushi restaurant. Miso is a great ingredient to have in your fridge to make a quick and easy miso soup.
What is miso soup?
Miso soup is a Japanese soup made from broth (from seaweed and/or dried fish) and miso paste. In it’s most basic form it is simply a broth with miso added. It can be embellished with a whole list of ingredients including veggies, fish or tofu, and mushrooms.
Where can I get miso?
Believe it or not, it might surprise you that you can buy miso in a plastic tub or glass jar in the refrigerated section of your grocery store near the tofu. Or you can get it at a natural food store. It lasts a really long time in the refrigerater so buying a container should last you for a whole winter’s worth of soups! Because it stores exceptionally well, I just always have some in my fridge for the random unplanned times I decide to make miso soup!
Why miso soup?
- Health benefits and probiotics: Miso is a traditional fermented food that has been eaten for a long long time in Japan made with soybeans and grains. If you use an unpasturized miso then the beneficial probiotic bacteria are present and you will eat them with the soup, which can aid digestion and overall immune functioning.
- Taste: I just love the way miso soup tastes. Because you don’t sauté the veggies first as I do in many of my soups, miso soup is a light alternative to creamy soups that I often make. It’s clear-brothy, a little bit salty, and just delicious! Perfect for a light supper with a salad and bread.
- Function: It’s fast. It’s easy. And it’s flexible! You can put various different veggies into it and it will taste delicious! See my list below.
How To Make Miso Soup With Most Any Veggies
Basic ingredients:
- 4-8 cups dashi or broth (see note below)
- 3 TBLS to ½ cup miso paste
- salt to taste
Note about the broth: Traditionally in Japan miso soup is made with dashi, a broth made from seaweed and often dried fish called bonito flakes. To be official, you could buy dashi or make your own. Or do what I do which is substituting my homemade vegetable or chicken broth for dashi, which turns out delicious, too!
Optional other ingredients you can add to your soup:
Veggies (small peices, thinly sliced or shredded):
- Green onions
- Onions
- Garlic
- Potatoes
- Carrots, shredded
- Daikon radish
- Greens of any kind
- Corn
- Snow peas
- Turnips (think Japanese Hakurei salad turnips!)
- Kohlrabi
- ETC!
Spices:
- Ginger
- Hot pepper
Other ingredient ideas:
- Seaweeds
- Mushrooms
- Fish/seafood
- Tofu (silken)
- Noodles of choice
Steps:
1. Heat broth to a boil.
2. Add optional ingredients and simmer until tender. Turn off heat.
3. Remove a small amount of broth and put into a little bowl
4. Mix miso paste into this small amount of broth until smooth
5. Add miso back to soup and serve!
And if you're more of a recipe type person, here’s my most recent miso soup version that I made to clean out my fridge:
Hearty Vegetable Miso Soup
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 TBLS minced garlic
- 1 TBLS fresh ginger, minced
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups greens like kale, spinach, Swiss chard, etc., chopped finely
- 1/3 cup miso, dissolved in ½-1 cup broth
- salt to taste
In a pot, combine the broth, garlic, ginger, onion, carrots, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and simmer until almost tender. Add the greens for another couple minutes until wilted down. Take a ½ cup or so of the broth out of the pot and into a small bowl. Combine with miso to completely dissolve. Then add back to the soup and stir. Serve immediately!
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