Interesting Facts About Miso Soup

By Christine Szalay-Kudra

Miso paste is used to make soup in Japan. It is made from fermented soy beans. The paste is added to a traditional fish stock known as dashi. The dashi is left to simmer gently and then it is dropped in to melt. As it melts, it is mixed throughout the broth.

There are several types of miso paste. Red, white, and black, also known as akamiso, shiromiso, and kuromiso are the most commonly used varieties. The darker miso has a heartier taste with more salt. There are also a few different regional types of miso for specific recipes. Yasaimiso is one of these. It is made to use with vegetable soup.

Traditional miso needs to be made with dashi stock. It may be possible to find this in your local Asian market. Dashi is made from dried sardines (niboshi), kelp (kombu) and dried bonito or skipjack tuna (katsuobushi). It can also be made with shiitake mushrooms. You can get vegetarian dashi made with shiitake and kelp instead of including the fish ingredients.

Outside of Japan, dashi can be hard to find. In America or Europe, you can easily use vegetable, fish or chicken stock instead. Homemade is best if you have it on hand. It can also be made using plain water if need be.

Solid ingredients are often added to miso soup. Ingredients are chosen to reflect the different seasons or to show a contrast in texture. Delicately flavored tofu will be added with a stronger flavored ingredient. Bulky potato chunks will be put in a combination with strips of light wakame seaweed. Ingredients can range from daikon radish, shrimp, potatoes, onion, fish, or mushrooms. Usually only two or three ingredients are added.

In Japan, miso soup is often served for breakfast. It is not uncommon for each family to have their own special recipe. It is said that children all over Japan can tell if the miso soup they are given was made by their own mother or not. The soup is usually served in a lacquer bowl with a lid. Chopsticks are used to eat the solid ingredients while the broth is sipped directly from the bowl.

The miso paste should never be boiled. It alters the flavor and some say it kills the active cultures in the paste, causing nutrients to be lost. Traditionally the solid ingredients are cooked in the dashi broth. Some broth is removed from the pan for melting the miso so it does not run the risk of boiling. When the other ingredients are cooked, the pan is removed from the heat and the miso mixture is added before serving.

Many Japanese eat miso soup at least once every day. Instant verities are also available. This can easily be made with plain hot water and enjoyed, although it does contain more sodium and MSG than is found in miso paste. You can find the instant version in many shops all over the world.

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