Recipe
Miso soup with homemade dashi
The everyday broth of Japan: a dashi of kombu seaweed and dried bonito, dissolved miso, tofu and wakame seaweed. Ready in 15 minutes.
Edited by EMA
Original JAPANITIES recipe. Results may vary with ingredients and equipment.
Checked on: · Source : JAPANITIES editorial recipe
Ingredients
- 500 ml water
- A piece of kombu about 10 cm long (5 g)
- 10 g katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- 2 tbsp miso (about 30 g), white to begin with
- 100 g firm tofu, in small cubes
- 1 tbsp dried wakame
- 1 spring onion or chopped chives
Method
- Dashi: put the kombu in cold water and let it steep for 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge).
- Heat gently. Just before it boils, remove the kombu. Add the bonito flakes, turn off the heat and leave for 1–2 minutes, then strain.
- Rehydrate the wakame for 5 minutes in cold water, then drain.
- Heat the dashi, add the tofu and wakame and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Off the heat, dissolve the miso in a ladle of broth, then pour it into the pan. Do not boil again: it would make the miso lose its aroma.
- Serve with the sliced spring onion.
Tips
- Vegetarian version: replace the bonito with 2–3 dried shiitake soaked together with the kombu.
- In a hurry: granulated dashi (“hondashi”) works very well on weekdays, 1 tsp for 500 ml.
- Miso is salty: taste before adding more. Red miso (aka) is stronger than white miso (shiro).
- Keep miso in the fridge once opened.
Wine pairing
With tofu and wakame, try a round, lightly oaked white. Temperature and salt change the pairing: take a small sip first. The editors’ suggestion is based on the flavours of the dish and the style of the wine: adapt it to your taste.
- Worth trying: dry white Graves
- At the wine shop, say which style you want: dry, lightly oaked or with supple tannins.