Miso Soup
Hi all!
Pour the cold water into a medium sized sauce pan. Add the kombu. If you are using them,add the mushroom as well to punch up the Umami quality of the finished dashi.
The other day I watched this amazing short film about the origins of Dashi. If you don’t know what dashi is then read on: Dashi is a simple broth made from three basic ingredients- water, katsuobushi (dried and smoked Bonita tuna flakes), and kombu (dried kelp). You can watch this film here, and please donate to Mr. Wolfinger’s cause of you are so moved, as I was.
So today I woke up thinking about dashi, which is the base for many Japanese soups and sauces. My favorite application of dashi is in the ubiquitous Miso Soup. Sadly, most Americans only enjoy miso soup out at a handful of Japanese restaurants, and if you order it at a less that reputable place, the miso soup is going to be an instant, powdered, watery, ghost of the real deal. So this afternoon I made Miso soup, and would like to share with you my version that was taught to me when I lived in Tokyo many years ago. Enjoy!
Miso Soup
For the dashi:
4 cups spring, or filtered water, cold
1 or two, 5x3 ish inch piece of Kombu (dried kelp)
5-10 grams (0.175-0.35 ounces or 3-4 Tbs) soft katsuobushi flakes
2-3 dried shiitake mushrooms, optional
Over medium low heat SLOWLY bring to a simmer, do not allow to boil!!! Let the broth simmer for about 90 seconds. Turn off the heat, remove the kombu, and sprinkle the dashi over the surface of the broth. Set a timer for 6 minutes. The fish flakes will slowly sink to the bottom of the pot.
Strain the dashi through a fine mesh strainer or a colander lined with cheesecloth into a nonreactive container. Rinse the sauce pan clean, and return the dashi to the very clean pan.
You will have a beautiful light, golden broth. Congratulations!
You just made dashi! If you used the dried mushroom option, rinse and slice the caps and return to the dashi.
For the Miso Soup (Tofu version)
The Dashi you just made
2-3 Tbs. dried Wakame seaweed
1/4 cup any color miso, the darker the saltier it will be
2-3 ounces of tofu, 1/4 inch dice
Bring the dashi to a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the miso.
Add the wakame seaweed and tofu. Gently warm over very low heat allowing the wakame to soften and “bloom”.
Serve right away.
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