I’m a big fan of miso soup. When that small bowl of mystically cloudy broth is set down in front of me, alongside the bare bones yet wonderfully reliable iceberg salad with carrot ginger dressing, all is right in the world (bit of an overstatement, but I’ll run with it).
Homemade Miso Soup Is Better
But the popularity and mainstream prevalence of sushi means that it’s all too likely that most miso soups are probably just cloudy bowls of MSG-laden broth and miso paste.
And it seems like that’s all there is to it. Miso soup is just one of those dishes that seems easy to make. Spoon some miso paste into some broth–badabing, badaboom, you’ve got miso soup, right?
Not so.
When I went to make this Superfood Miso Soup, I discovered that everyone’s favorite companion to their avocado salmon rolls and bento boxes is actually a wonderfully complex little soup of layered seafood flavors. Which is why I’ve decided that homemade miso soup is the way to go (shocker, I know).
A Superfood Version
This recipe is a “superfood” version of your basic miso soup, using a homemade dashi stock made with dried kombu (kelp), shiitake mushrooms, and bonito flakes. I also add soft tofu, lots of healthy spinach, and scallions, in addition to the miso.
What results is a much heartier miso soup than you might be used to from your go-to sushi place, one that you could even have as a light meal by itself. Since making this, I keep a tub of miso paste in the fridge. It lasts forever and is always there waiting when you want to whip up a batch of miso soup.
Miso Soup Recipe Instructions
Rinse the kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms under cold running water, and then add to a medium stockpot.
Add 12 cups water, and allow to soak for 1 hour.
After soaking, place the pot over medium heat, and allow the stock to come up to just a simmer. Fish out the kombu, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the bonito flakes (Katsuobushi). Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Strain the resulting dashi stock into a medium saucepan to make your soup (reserving the shiitake mushrooms), and place it over medium low heat. Cut the soft tofu into ½-inch cubes and set aside. Whisk the white miso paste into the stock until fully incorporated. Add the tofu, spinach, and scallions.
Slice a couple of your shiitake and add those to the pot as well. Simmer for another couple minutes…
And serve your Superfood miso soup hot!
Superfood Miso Soup
Ingredients
- 2 6-inch square pieces of kombu
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 12 cups water (2.8 L)
- 1 cup bonito flakes (Katsuobushi)
- 12 ounces soft tofu (340g)
- 5 tablespoons white miso paste
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 scallions (chopped)
Instructions
- Rinse the kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms under cold running water, and then add to a medium stockpot. Add 12 cups water, and allow to soak for 1 hour.
- After soaking, place the pot over medium heat, and allow the stock to come up to just a simmer. Fish out the kombu, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the bonito flakes. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Strain the resulting dashi stock into a medium saucepan to make your soup (reserving the shiitake mushrooms), and place it over medium low heat. Cut the tofu into ½-inch cubes and set aside. Whisk the miso into the stock until fully incorporated.
- Add the tofu, spinach, and scallions. Slice a couple of your shiitake and add those to the pot as well. Simmer for another couple minutes and serve.
nutrition facts
Hi Sarah, can the stock be frozen for future use?
Yes, definitely Debbie!
This is my favorite soup recipe ever 😋
Aw, thank you so much, Rebecca!
Halved this recipe, used awase miso & added 1 Tbsp Michiu wine. It was excellent!
Love that, Trish! So glad you enjoyed it.
Morning, I live in a area where getting dried mushroom is difficult, I was fortunate enough to get fresh shiitake mushrooms, is that ok to use in your recipes?
Hi, Suzanne, much of the time it’s ok to use fresh shiitake mushrooms instead of dried (for a stir-fry or stew, for example). In this case, the dried shiitake mushrooms are needed for their flavor to make the broth, as they are much more potent than fresh.
1. I’ve heard that you can’t cook tofu with spinach together in one dish, is that true?
2. The end photo shows the mushroom is sliced. But I don’t see you mentioned.
Hi Linda, you can certainly cook spinach and tofu together, not sure why you wouldn’t. As for the mushroom, you can feel free to slice some of the cooked mushroom and add it to the soup at the end!
Hi Sarah,
I love this recipe. Depending on what’s in the fridge I sometimes use pak choi or some wakame for the green stuff.
Now I do have a question. I read somewhere, that the Japanese miso paste as well as the Korean doenjang originated from China (long time ago). I know that the Koreans are quite creative in doing all kinds of soups and stews with it, the most famous being doenjang jjigae. So was wondering if there were any Chinese soups using fermented bean paste in a similar way.
Hi Andreas, actually not really! Soybean pastes in Chinese cooking are usually used in stir-fries and braises. Chinese soups are most often clear soups that emphasize the flavor of the broth and the mix-ins. It’s actually an interesting distinction that I’ve never thought of before!
For those with access, either through mail order or if you have a Japanese market nearby, dashi-no-moto (dashi “powder”) is an excellent option, but there are two kinds: a powder that is mostly MSG, and packets that look like oversize teabags, filled with powdered katsuobushi (bonito) and kombu, and NO MSG. You just put the “teabag into a pot of boiled water for a few minutes, and presto – dashi!
Needless to say, the second type gives a much better result, but it’s harder to find. My package has only Japanese writing on it except for the nutrition sticker, which says “Soup Stock”, “Yamaki Dashipack Katsuo”, from Daiei Trading Co. I haven’t made dashi any other way in decades.
Thanks for the tips, Cheryl!
Hi Sarah,
Your recipe for Japanese super-food is intriguing and I’d like to try it out. The 5th picture (from the top) shows what appears to be cabbage and there is a distinctly reddish colour. It’s file name is dashi-stock.jpg. What is it, please? I’m kinda new to Asian cooking and there has been an explosion of Asian mega-grocery-stores spring up out of nowhere in my neighborhood; so there is no difficulty finding the Asian components. Thank you for your help.
Dennis in Toronto
That picture is the bonito flakes, which are used to make the dashi stock. It’s dried bonito fish, shaved into flakes, and has great flavor! You can find it in any one of those Asian mega grocery stores in the dry goods aisle, or where Japanese products are found.
Why is this on the vegetarian page when it has bonito flakes in? Vegetarians do not eat fish!
Hey Megan, this recipe can be prepared vegetarian by omitting the bonito flakes and just using vegetable stock instead.
Some do. Vegans don’t eat anything with a face. Vegetarians will eat fish but no chicken beef or pork. They eat eggs drink milk so she is not wrong. Vegans are the ones who are very strict!
Vegetarians do not eat animals. Fish are animals.
You are speaking of pescatarians.
(Lifelong vegetarian here — hopefully / trying to incorporate fish into diet, but it is difficult after 30 years of vegetarian & veganism…)
Thanks for clarifying, Lea! I think we put this recipe in the vegetarian category in error. I fixed it!
Hi! I want to make this recipe but I don’t have a sieve in my sparse student kitchen. I do have both powdered dashi stock and bonito flakes – would it be better to use the bonito flakes but have to leave them in the soup, or use dashi stock powder (and if so, how many tablespoons/grams?).
Thank you in advance for your help!
Dashi stock powder is totally fine, Elena. I’ve used it in a pinch to make miso soup!