3 secrets to a delicious miso soup
1. To make a good miso, you must start with the right broth. I used to think you just add miso paste to boiling water, and voilia, you've got miso soup. I was so wrong. Using a disposable fabric pouch, seal in generous portions of shaved bonito, cooked dried whole anchovies, and konbu (thick dried seaweed). Place the pouch into a pot of boiling water and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze any broth from the fabric pouch before throwing the pouch away. Coincidentally, this broth (frequently referred to as dashi broth) is the base for many other types of Japanese dishes such as oden and dipping for agedashi tofu.
2. Given that garbage in = garbage out, you have to use a good miso. We are in love with Yamabuki Shiro (white) miso, recommended by our sushi chef Yoko-san. We have used plenty of other types miso pastes and most of them don't taste quite right to us. We're sticking with Yamabuki!
I typically use ~1 Tbsp of miso for every big soup bowl (~2-2.5 cups). For the regular sized rice bowls, 1 tsp should be sufficient. As every good chef, taste the soup to your liking as you make it. Start with less as you can always add more. Cook till miso paste is dissolved.
3. Sake! Adding in a little cooking sake to the soup (while it's still cooking) adds sweetness to it.
We also use wakame and silken tofu in our miso. I usually add the tofu after the soup is done cooking, keeping the tofu at a lower temperature. Most people also add chopped green onion when the soup is served.
For variety, try adding clams or different types of mushrooms to the miso. Enjoy!
P.S. As I was looking for photos for this post, I saw lots of photos of miso soup in a bowl with a spoon in it. C'mon now, people, the right way to enjoy miso soup is to give it a twirl with a pair of chopsticks, then bring the bowl up and drink directly from the bowl!
From top left to lower right: konbu, shaved bonito, wakame, cooked dried whole anchovy, silken tofu, Yamabuki miso, disposable fabric pouch
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