It’s no secret that I love soup. I was flicking back through some of my past soup recipes and remembered the Enoki Mushroom Soup I made a year ago. Man, it was good! But since then, I’ve made a few more Japanese recipes, and I thought it was time to have a go at a proper Miso Soup with Mushroom, with homemade dashi stock and all.
Why is Miso Soup So Good?
Chicken soup is sometimes known as Jewish penicillin, in reference to its healing qualities. Well, I think miso soup has to be the Japanese penicillin! Just like chicken soup, it’s warming and comforting with a great hit of umami flavor – just what you need when you’re feeling under the weather on a cold winters day. And its nourishing qualities don’t stop at being good for the soul.
The shimeji mushrooms are incredibly good for you, with antioxidant properties, as well as being high in dietary minerals. And miso itself is made from fermented soybeans. All fermented foods contain lactic acid bacteria, the microorganisms responsible for the miracle of fermentation. Lactic acid bacteria are considered “good” bacteria for the gut, meaning that they are part of a healthy gut microbiome, helping to keep you feeling good. Finally, the kombu kelp used to make the dashi stock is full of vitamins and minerals, in particular iodine, which is essential for thyroid function.
How to Make Dashi Stock
A good miso soup starts with the stock. I’d always thought it must be very complicated to make dashi stock – I suppose I’d been worried about the unfamiliar ingredients – but it is not only easy, it’s also very quick. In fact, it’s ready to use in only 20 minutes! How good is that?
You start by very gently simmering kombu sheets in water. After that you just turn off the heat and let it steep for another 10 minutes. Bonito flakes and dried mushrooms complete the picture. The only way you can get it wrong is by boiling the seaweed too hard or too long – then it might turn bitter. Be sure to keep it gentle.
What is Kombu? What’s Bonito?!
Kombu (sometimes spelled konbu) is a type of edible kelp – seaweed – that is widely eaten in East Asia and especially in Japan. It’s the ingredient that was responsible for the discovery of umami as a separate flavor when chemist Kikunae Ikeda experimented with kombu sheets in the early twentieth century.
Bonito flakes have been discussed on this blog before, when I made Homemade Ramen a few months ago. The Japanese name is katsuo bushi, and they are dried flakes of smoked bonito tuna, looking like light brown tissue paper and also with a deeply savory umami flavor. Both kombu and bonito are widely available in Asian grocery stores or you can order either online.
Making Miso Soup with Mushroom
Once your broth is ready, it couldn’t be easier to finish it off. The vegetables are traditionally just simmered in the hot broth, and the tofu and miso added at the last moment. I personally think mushrooms release a bit more flavor when they’re lightly fried, so I opted to do this in advance of adding the stock. Not strictly traditional, and it is an extra step, so feel free to skip it if you like.
Heating Miso
In my recipe, as in all miso soup recipes, the miso is not simmered in the hot broth, but stirred in at the end, right before serving. Why? There are two reasons. Firstly, when miso is boiled, it loses a lot of its wonderful aromatic flavor. Secondly, as a fermented product, it contains a lot of beneficial bacteria. By boiling it, you kill those bacteria, meaning you’ll also lose out on its probiotic goodness.
Take a ladle of the warm (not hot) stock and whisk it in to the miso paste. This loosens it up, making it easy to mix through at the last moment. Once the vegetables have cooked and the tofu heated through, turn off the heat, and only then add the miso. Stir it through the soup, watching the clear liquid become cloudy, and serve immediately.
Storage Notes
Miso soup doesn’t store very well. It’s definitely best eaten directly after making it. However, you can make the dashi stock in advance and store that in the fridge or even freeze it until you’re ready to cook. The soup itself only takes 10 minutes from start to finish, once the stock is ready.
And more…
Looking for more soup recipes? Try out one of these…
- Creamy Green Onion Soup
- Cauliflower Lentil Soup
- Taro Soup with Turkey Meatballs
- Finnish Salmon Soup
- Broccoli Almond Soup
Conclusion
Next time you’re feeling a bit down in winter, or think a cold might be on the way, I heartily recommend trying Japanese pencillin AKA Miso Soup with Mushrooms. It’s the perfect way to start a meal, putting a spring into your step and setting you up for the next day. And if you want to bulk the dish out to a full dinner rather that just an appetizer, add some noodles to the mix, for a hearty and warming main course.
Miso Soup with Mushroom
Ingredients
For the dashi stock
- 4 pieces kombu dashi about 3 inches square
- 1 tbsp dried mushrooms
- 8 cups water
- 0.5 cup bonito flakes
For the miso soup
- 8 cups dashi stock
- 0.25 cups white miso paste
- 5 oz shimeji mushrooms pulled into pieces
- 4 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
- 7 oz tofu diced
- 2 bok choy leaves separated
Instructions
For the dashi stock
- Place the kombu and dried mushrooms in a large pot with the water.
- Bring to a boil then immediately turn down to a low simmer – bubbles should barely be breaking the surface.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Add the bonito flakes and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
- Strain through a fine sieve and discard the solids.
For the miso soup
- Take about 1 cup of the stock and whisk it in to the miso paste.
- In a large pot, heat a little oil over medium heat.
- Add the cremini mushrooms and sauté for about 4 minutes.
- Add the dashi stock and the shimeji mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes at a simmer.
- Add the tofu and bok choy leaves. Cook just until the leaves have wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the miso mixture. Serve hot.
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