Ingredients
6 c. water
1 large piece kombu (about 4")
1 1/2 c. bonito flakes
1/3 c. white miso
2 tbsp. dried wakame
3 tbsp. sliced scallions, for garnish
4 oz. silken tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
Preparation
Step 1Make dashi: In a large pot over medium heat, bring water and kombu to a simmer. Remove kombu as soon as the water starts to simmer or reaches 150ºF. Bring the stock to a boil, add the bonito flakes, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain out bonito flakes, making sure to press them to release stock. Step 2Return dashi to stove and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in miso until dissolved then wakame and scallions. Step 3To serving bowls add a few cubes of tofu, pour soup over and serve.
Essentially miso soup is just miso paste whisked into a dashi. Dashi is the Japanese word for stock and the most iconic type of dashi is made of kombu (dried kelp) and bonito flakes (smoked, dried tuna flakes). You can buy a powdered mix to make dashi, but if get your hands on the real ingredients you will have a more flavorful, intense stock. But as chef Yuji Haraguchi, owner of Yuji Ramen and Osakana and New York will tell you, miso soup can be made with all kinds of stock. Not only that, there are tons of different types of misos! White miso is lighter in color and sweeter. Red Miso is darker and has a more intense salinity and umami flavor. One of Yuji’s favorite misos is barley miso which is also dark but adds an earthiness can be really amazing. His favorite variations are using a quart of almond milk with kombu and root vegetables to create a very autumnal, creamy miso soup made with miso barley. You can also sub out the bonito flakes in the classic dashi for any number of seafood, but his favorite is clams with red miso. Once you buy your miso, you can make a number of recipes including Miso Butter Cod and a twist on an Italian classic, Miso Bolognese. However you make your miso soup, let us know how it came out in the comments below.
