Japanese Miso Soup Recipes

The popularity of Japanese miso soup recipe has no boundaries, it has a huge fan base in Asia. But now even in the western countries, people are very keen to know more and more about this delicious miso soup. A traditional Japanese miso soup consists of stock known as "dashi" (Japanese fish stock) and it is mixed with miso paste. Many other ingredients are also a part of miso soup recipe, but these two are the prime miso soup ingredients.

Miso is basically a soft fermented paste made of soybeans which imparts a salty flavor. Nowadays miso has also been made from variety of ingredients such as barley, rice and wheat. The stock which is used in Japanese soup recipe is called dashi and it is made of niboshi (dried baby sardines), kombu (dried kelp, type of seaweed), katsuobushi (thin shavings of dried and smoked bonito, a type of fish) and hoshi shiitake (dried mushrooms). Miso paste is also used in a variety of dishes besides soup. There are two major types of miso available, red and white. Red miso is darkish red-brown in color, saltier and with a strong flavor. White miso is yellowish-brown in color and is more popularly consumed.

How to make a Japanese Miso Soup
A staple meal of the Japanese people the miso soup is also featured in the menus of various restaurants all around the world.
Ingredients

• 900 milligrams of water
• 200 grams of fresh soft tofu
• 60 grams miso paste
• 40 grams spring onion
• 40 grams deep-fried beancurd
• 20 grams kelp
• 20 grams dried bonito

Method: Fill a bowl of water and place a piece of kelp to soak for 1 hour, now boil this water. Now remove the kelp from the boiling water and let it cool. Place dried bonito in that water and boil again. After boiling, filter the dried bonito. Add the miso paste and mix well, also add the kelp, tofu, spring onions and deep-fried beancurd. Mix all these ingredients and boil again. Pour it in a bowl and serve hot.

Japanese Miso Soup (American Style)
Ingredients

• 3 ounces soba noodles
• 4 ounces tofu, chopped in thin cubes
• 4 tbsp miso paste
• Handful of spinach leaves washed and stems cut
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• Handful of cilantro
• A dash of red pepper flakes

Method: Heat soba noodles in salted water, drain and wash the noodles with cold water and keep them aside. In a sauce pan, boil 4 cups of water and remove the sauce pan from heat. In a small bowl add miso paste and pour some hot water from sauce pan, stir well. Add this miso mixture back in the sauce pan, you can add more miso paste if you want according to your liking, also add the tofu pieces. Split the noodles in two bowls and pour the miso broth over them. Garnish the miso soup with some cilantro, green onions, spinach leaves and red pepper flakes. Serve hot and enjoy!

Japanese Miso Soup Calories
A traditional Japanese miso soup has around 140 calories. The calories in miso soup also depend on the number of ingredients added in them. For example, if you add tofu, fish, clams, spinach, garlic, seaweed and some more vegetables, you increase the calorie content of the miso soup. But you don't have to worry about these calories as these are healthy calories and are beneficial for your body. Try some more healthy soup recipes.

Miso soup is also very beneficial for the human body as it has a high content of proteins, vitamins and minerals. You can have miso soup for breakfast, lunch or as a complete dinner. However, excessive consumption of this soup is never advised due to the high content of sodium in it. I hope you have enjoyed reading on Japanese miso soup recipe, do try these recipes and share your experiences with me.