Basic Miso Soup

This is one of my favorite soups, especially in the winter time. It is certainly comforting and healing and oh so yummy.  This is the recipe I use for me and my husband so it makes a nice big bowl for each of us.

Ingredients List:

1-2 cups of water per person

1 Tbsp miso paste per person – I like the brown, but yellow is the mildest

1-2 Tbsp tahini per person

Seaweed (I use dulse, kombu and nori)

Vegetables (my favorites are 2 long carrots, 1/2 cup chopped daikon radish, 3-4 chopped brussels sprout and 1-2 large leafs of kale) Variations: bok choy, cabbage, green beans, spinach

Mushrooms (Shitake are the best)

Sprouted Mung beans (optional)

 

Step one:  Boil the water then switch it to a low boil.  Add the seaweed since it flavors the water and makes things extra yummy. To prepare the seaweed, I just use kitchen shearers and snip/cut up pieces and drop them in the water.

Step Two: Slice the carrots, chop the daikon radish, chop the brussels sprouts (I trim off the ends) and add that all to the water.

Step Three: If using organic Shitake mushrooms (they are the BEST), don’t wash them but just brush off any dirt, slice and add to the mixture.

Step Four: Chop a couple of large leaves of kale and add to the bubbly mixture. Throw in a handful of sprouted mung beans for extra protein. If you get over zealous with the veggies like I do, you’ll need to add more water. It should look something like this:

Step Five: Keep it on a low boil and check the thicker veggies to be sure they are tender. When they are, it’s basically done.

Step Six: Spoon off about a cup of the liquid from the soup. Let it cool slightly and then add the Miso Paste and Tahini. You do not want to cook Miso paste as it will destroy the valuable pro-biotic properties.

 My two favorite brands of Tahini and Miso

Doesn’t look so yummy until you mix it up.

Tahini and miso paste before you mix it up

Mix it really well using the back of the spoon to mash up the thick Miso paste. Spoon out more soup stock if you need to. It should look something like this when you’re done.

Mixture of soup stock, miso paste and tahini

Step seven: Add the miso paste/tahini mixture back to your soup. Mix it well. If it doesn’t taste “salty” enough, you might need to mix in more miso paste.  Be sure to follow the previous method or you’ll have clumps of paste in your soup which are impossible to mix up with all the veggies.

Step eight: As you can tell by the empty sprouting tray, I love mung beans.  You can cook them in AND add a few at the end.

 Sprouted mung beans

Lastly, sit and enjoy this amazing hearty soup. It is perfect for a cold winter’s night in Wisconsin.

 

 

I adapted this recipe from the Kanyakumari “Taste Life” Ayurveda cookbook.  I use this little book ALL the time. You can get one for your own kitchen by clicking here.  Honestly, I love everything I’ve ever made. It is not overwhelming and has just the right amount of choices of beverages, salads, main dishes, deserts, soups and snacks. All of them using the Ayurvedic principles and all are vegetarian.

Hope you enjoy the Miso Soup!  Leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out.