Tofu Miso Soup

Miso soup is great comfort food in a cold day. Today is the perfect day for some miso soup at lunch time. I used to make dashi (the stock) with the granules (e.g. Hondashi) but they contain MSG, so now I make it from scratch, with is not a lot of additional work. Besides the tofu, today I added Japanese herbs (mistuba and chrysanthemum), and thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms.

Tofu Miso Soup

4 Servings

Ingredients

4 cups dashi soup stock

1 piece of dashi kombu, 4x6 inches (10 to 15 cm)
•

4 cups filtered water
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1/2 cup loosely packed bonito flakes




3-4 tablespoons miso paste

12 oz tofu

1/4 cup very thinly sliced green onion

Directions

Dashi Stock

Place kombu in a medium saucepan and add the water. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. When it reaches a boil, remove from heat and add the bonito flakes. Let stand until the bonito flakes sink to the bottom of the saucepan, about 15 minutes. strain the dashi through a sieve. Use the dashi within a couple of hours of making.

Miso Soup

Put dashi stock in a pan and bring to a boil. Cut tofu into small cubes and add them to the soup. Simmer the tofu for a few minutes on low heat. Scoop out some soup stock from the pan and dissolve miso in it. Gradually return the miso mixture in the soup. Stir the soup gently. Stop the heat and add chopped green onion. Remember not to boil the soup after you put miso in.