Rustic Miso Soup With Tofu and Seaweed Recipe

Name: Rustic Miso Soup With Tofu and Seaweed Recipe
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon (3g) dried wakame seaweed; 1/2 ounce dried kombu (14g; about one 6- by 5-inch piece), rinsed in cold water; Cold water; 1/2 ounce katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings) (14g; about 2 1/2 cups); About 1/3 cake (160g) silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 tablespoon (16g) mild miso, such as shiro (white) miso (see note); 2 tablespoons (32g) dark miso, such as hatcho or aka (red) miso (see note); 1 scallion, white and light green parts only, sliced thinly on the bias

Bolder than your average miso soup, this version, inspired by one made at the Brooklyn restaurant Ganso Yaki, achieves its rich flavor with a robust dashi and blend of both dark and mild miso. Consider using hatcho miso for the dark one—it's a dense, heartier style made strictly with soybeans (as opposed to both rice and soybeans).

Plumbing the Depths of Miso Soup

Rustic Miso Soup With Tofu and Seaweed Recipe

Cook 20 mins

Active 25 mins

Soaking Time 15 mins

Total 35 mins

Serves 4 servings

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1 tablespoon (3 g) dried wakame seaweed
1/2 ounce dried kombu (14 g; about 1 (6- by 5-inch) piece), rinsed in cold water
Cold water
1/2 ounce katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings) (14 g; about 2 1/2 cups)
About 1/3 cake (160 g) silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon (16 g) mild miso, such as shiro (white) miso (see note)
2 tablespoons (32 g) dark miso, such as hatcho or aka (red) miso (see note)
1 scallion, white and light green parts only, sliced thinly on the bias

In a small bowl, cover wakame with enough cold water to cover and let stand at room temperature until soft, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine kombu with 3 1/2 cups (830ml) cold water and cook over medium heat until water just starts to boil, about 6 minutes. Remove kombu with tongs and discard or reserve for another use. (Kombu can be cut into thin slivers and tossed into a salad.)
Add a few tablespoons cold water to saucepan to lower temperature, then add katsuobushi and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer dashi for 7 minutes.
Strain dashi through a fine-mesh strainer set over a heatproof bowl; discard katsuobushi. Return dashi to a clean saucepan. Drain wakame and add to dashi along with tofu; be very gentle, since tofu is fragile and will break easily. Set over medium heat until warmed through.
In a small bowl, whisk both misos with just enough warm dashi to dissolve into a thin paste. Remove dashi from heat and very gently stir in miso paste, being careful not to break the tofu.
Carefully ladle soup into warmed bowls, garnish with scallions, and serve immediately.

Special equipment

Fine-mesh strainer

Notes

If you prefer to use only one type of miso in this recipe, try awase, which is an all-purpose option made from a combination of white and red miso.

This Recipe Appears In

Plumbing the Depths of Miso Soup

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
47	Calories
2g	Fat
2g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	47
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g	2%
Saturated Fat 0g	1%
Cholesterol 5mg	2%
Sodium 452mg	20%
Total Carbohydrate 2g	1%
Dietary Fiber 0g	2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 1mg	7%
Calcium 73mg	6%
Iron 1mg	5%
Potassium 127mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.