Traditional Miso Soup with Homemade Tofu

Traditional Miso Soup with Homemade Tofu : instructions

• Before you begin...
  • 1
    In this recipe, I make Awase Dashi using kombu and katsuobushi. You can also make dashi using a dashi packet or powder. For vegans and vegetarians, try the Kombu Dashi recipe I’ve included below, or make Vegan Dashi using kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms.
  • 2
    Gather all the ingredients.
  • 3
    Slice the green onion into thin rings.
• To make dashi
  • 4
    Add 1 liter of water and 10g of kombu (dried seaweed) to a medium saucepan. If you have time, let the kombu soak in the water for 30 minutes.
    
    NEVER wash the kombu and do not remove the white substance—that’s umami! These days, it’s pretty clean, so just make sure there are no dirt particles.
  • 5
    GENTLY bring to a boil (about 10 minutes) over medium-low heat to extract as much umami from the kombu as possible.
    
    Just before the broth comes to a boil, remove the kombu and set it aside for another use. If you leave the kombu in, it becomes slimy and gives the broth a bitter taste.
  • 6
    What you have now is kombu dashi.
    If you are vegetarian or vegan, use this kombu dashi for your miso soup.  
    If you are not vegetarian or vegan, add 10 g of katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) to the kombu dashi and bring it back to a boil.
    Once the dashi is boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer for just 30 seconds.
  • 7
    Turn off the heat and let the katsuobushi settle to the bottom for about 10 minutes. Then strain through a fine-mesh strainer.  
    You now have about 4 cups of Awase Dashi. You can store the dashi in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
    Set aside the used katsuobushi to reuse later.
• To make miso soup
  • 8
    Add the dashi to the pot. If you’re using refrigerated dashi, bring it to a gentle boil (100°C) over medium heat, then turn off the heat.
    Add 4 tbsp of miso. Place the miso in a ladle, slowly pour the dashi into the ladle, and stir with chopsticks until completely dissolved. Here, I’m using a miso pestle.
    If you accidentally add too much miso, dilute the miso soup with dashi (or water). Here, I’m using a fine-mesh miso strainer, which helps dissolve the miso more quickly.
  • 9
    After straining the miso through a sieve, you may see rice koji (especially if it’s miso koji). It’s up to you whether you want to add it to the miso soup or discard it (personal preference).  
  • 10
    Cut 200 g of silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu) into 1- to 2-cm cubes and add them to the miso soup.
    
    The Chef's Tip

    Add the tofu after the miso has completely dissolved; otherwise, you might break the tofu while stirring the miso.
    
    
    It is very common in Japan to cut tofu in the palm of your hand. However, I recommend using a cutting board if you have never done this before.
  • 11
    Add 1 tbsp of dried wakame seaweed and the chopped green onions to the pot just before serving to preserve their freshness and color.
    
    The Chef's Tip

    If you're watching your salt intake, I recommend rehydrating the dried wakame in a separate bowl of water to remove the salt, rather than rehydrating it directly in the soup. If you’re reheating the soup, heat the miso soup until it’s just warm.
    
    
    NEVER BOIL miso soup, as it loses its flavor and aroma!