Easy Miso Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is miso soup just miso paste and water? ›

Miso soup is deceptively simple. It contains just a handful of ingredients: fermented bean paste (a.k.a. miso), vegetables, and hot water or stock. Heck, you don't even have to use tofu (although if you do, make sure it's the right kind; more on that in a moment).

Miso, a fermented soybean paste, is a culinary staple in Japan, says Sonoko Sakai, chef, cooking teacher, and author of Japanese Home Cooking. It's made using just four ingredients: cooked soybeans, grains (typically rice), salt, and koji mold, a type of fungus scientifically known as Aspergillus oryzae.

So Naturally, in authentic Japanese cooking recipes, Miso soup recipes are mostly vegetables. However, nowadays, you can add meat proteins such as cooked chicken, shrimp, crab, and pork. You can also add an egg to your soup. Simply crack an egg into the soup and let it cook for a few minutes before stirring it in.

Add ingredients like mushrooms, red and green peppers, edamame, onions, leeks and other vegetables. The combination of such foods thickens the broth and benefits more than your tastebuds. You can even choose ingredients with specific health benefits in mind, like boosting your immune system.

*STIR MISO to preserve the beneficial bacteria – stir the miso paste into your cup of hot water instead of pouring boiling water over the miso as high heat can destroy the healthful bacteria; this simple technique will help ensure you get maximum “nu*tritional bang for your bite.” MISO is fermented soybean paste.

A general rule of thumb is to use about 1 tablespoon per cup (U.S. measure, 236.5ml) or 1/4 l (250ml) but if you have a very salty red miso for example, you may need less. So when you are trying out a new miso, always add less than you think you need.

Miso, a.k.a. fermented soybean paste, is made by combining just three simple ingredients—soybeans, salt, and koji (a type of fungus cultivated on rice and other grains)—and allowing the mixture to age for months or even years.

Soy Sauce/ Aminos

Soy sauce is the most common substitute for miso paste. Miso is thick and creamy, whereas soy sauce is thin like water, but if texture isn't a factor, they are both made of soy and chock full of salty and savory notes.

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup that starts with a dashi stock and is flavored with miso paste. Dashi is an umami-rich stock made from dried seaweed and dried fish. Miso paste, meanwhile, is a paste made from soybeans, salt, and koji rice. The brothy soup usually contains tofu and green onions.

The base of any great miso soup is its liquid component. In lieu of dashi, a homemade vegetable broth can be used. Not only does this serve as a dashi substitute, but it also adds a layer of flavor complexity while keeping the dish plant-based and accessible to those on a vegetarian or vegan diet.

What are the crunchy things in miso soup? ›

Green onions – They add a nice crunch and sweet, oniony flavor to the soup. Tamari – For serving!

Another brown seaweed used in Miso soup

In Japan, we make the stock for the miso soup using kombu (kelp), which is another type of brown seaweed. By using two types of brown seaweed, it helps to prevent high blood pressure even more!

You could add thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms at the end; fried agedashi tofu, clams and even chicken are all fair game when bulking up miso soup at home. Anchored by miso, the Japanese paste made from fermented soybeans and grains, the quotidian dish is riffable, restorative and easy on the stomach.

Being made from soya beans, miso offers an array of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds, including isoflavones. The fermentation process used to produce miso may be especially helpful as it helps support digestion and may enhance immunity.

Miso soup contains several beneficial vitamins, minerals, and components that may improve your gut and heart health and may lower your risk of cancer. If you are on a low-salt diet, read the label on packaged miso soup to choose one that's low in sodium. What the heck is miso? Miso is a fermented soybean paste.

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup that starts with a dashi stock and is flavored with miso paste. Dashi is an umami-rich stock made from dried seaweed and dried fish. Miso paste, meanwhile, is a paste made from soybeans, salt, and koji rice. The brothy soup usually contains tofu and green onions.

It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji (the fungus Aspergillus oryzae) and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables, fish, or meats, and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso soup, a Japanese culinary staple.

Instead of using vegetable broth or bouillon, simply use miso paste instead. Choose a dark miso (Traditional Red Miso, Barley Miso, Brown Rice Miso) for a darker soup broth; choose a lighter miso (Mellow White, Sweet White, Chickpea) for a lighter soup broth.

Traditionally, Japanese serve miso soup in a small bowl, but there is no soup spoon provided. It is expected that you drink from the bowl.