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Miso Soup 味噌汁

It’s super easy to make authentic homemade Japanese miso soup! In this recipe, we’ll show you how to quickly and easily make classic miso soup with tofu and wakame seaweed using homemade soup stock (dashi). It’s delicious and has many health benefits.

Miso soup is a staple of Japanese cuisine and is essentially soul food. We enjoy it almost every day, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. As home cooks, we would also say that miso soup is probably one of the easiest soups you can make at home. There are many ways to make miso soup, but once you understand the basics, you can start experimenting and customizing. This recipe aims to give you all the essential knowledge to make a bowl of authentic miso soup at home anytime you want. Trust us, what you make will taste a hundred times better than miso soup from Japanese restaurants or the instant varieties.

Best Miso Soup Recipe

Most Japanese meals are served with a small bowl of steamed rice and a traditional Japanese soup called Miso Soup or Misoshiru (味噌汁). In its simplest form, miso soup is made from three components:

• Dashi (Japanese soup stock)
• Miso (Japanese soybean paste)
• Soup ingredients of your choice, such as tofu and wakame seaweed

  Depending on the region, season, and personal preference, you can make many types of miso soup. Besides the classic combination of tofu and wakame that we’ll show you today, some people also use various hearty ingredients like root and leafy vegetables, meat, and seafood to enrich the soup. The variety options ensure you'll never get tired of it. In this recipe, we’ll guide you through the most authentic miso soup recipe and explain how everything comes together in detail.

  3 Simple Steps to Make Miso Soup

  Making miso soup is simple, easy, and quick! Let's master the basic miso soup with tofu and wakame seaweed. Here’s an overview of the three steps:

  1. Make dashi (Japanese soup stock) [20 minutes]
  2. Add miso [2 minutes]
  3. Add tofu and wakame and serve [3 minutes]

  Once you know how to make this classic Japanese miso soup, you can easily create endless variations by changing the ingredients.

  What is Dashi?

  Dashi (だし・出汁) is a Japanese soup base and the foundation of many Japanese dishes. It is the easiest and fastest broth to make. To make authentic Japanese miso soup, you must use dashi as the soup stock and not chicken or vegetable broth. Remember, without dashi, it’s not miso soup.

  The most common and basic dashi is Awase Dashi, which is made with kombu (kelp) + katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes).

Best Miso Paste for Miso Soup

Miso (味噌) or fermented soybean paste is made from soybeans, grains (steamed rice or barley), salt, and koji (麹, a fermentation starter).

There are many different kinds of miso available on the market. Most miso types are identified by color, such as white miso (shiro miso), red miso (aka miso), and yellow miso (awase miso or mixed miso). If you want to learn more about miso, please read our blog about miso.

Each miso paste and brand varies in salt content and flavor. When it comes to miso soup, there is no “right” miso for your miso soup. Taste and adjust the amount of miso. You can mix two to three brands/types of miso for more complex flavors or enjoy the unique characteristics of just one type, especially if you have high-quality miso.

Our favorite miso is this Kodawattemasu by Hikari Miso (organic long-aged red koji miso). It has a more rounded character that pairs well with all ingredients.

How Much Miso Paste to Add to Soup?

A general rule of thumb in Japan is to add one tablespoon (18 g) of miso paste per bowl of miso soup, which contains 200 ml dashi.

If you're using a measuring cup, use one tablespoon of miso per cup (240 ml) and add more after tasting.

Health Benefits of Miso Soup

Japanese people drink miso soup daily because we believe this delicious and healing soup is a gateway to excellent health. Just like green tea, you could say that miso soup is the elixir of the Japanese diet. Here are some of the health benefits of miso soup:

• Good source of nutrients. Miso is rich in essential minerals such as copper, manganese, protein, vitamin K, and zinc. Therefore, drinking a bowl of miso soup daily is like taking a natural supplement for your health.
• Good for the bones. Miso soup offers many bone-building minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and manganese, which help reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
• Improves heart health. The natural compounds in miso, including vitamin K2, linoleic acid, and saponin, are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol.

To fully enjoy the great health benefits of miso soup, make your own miso soup. Instant miso soup may not be as beneficial because it often contains more sodium and additional preservatives. However, there are some reputable brands available, so read the label.

Now that you have learned how to make miso soup at home, we hope you enjoy our recipe for this nutritious soup!

Ingredients and Supplies:

• 1 liter Dashi soup broth
• 349 g Silken Firm Tofu
• 4-5 tablespoons Miso paste
• 1 tablespoon dried Wakame seaweed
• 1 green onion