| If you have been eating at Japanese restaurants, | | | | go home and make your first real Miso soup! |
| you may have wondered how to duplicate the | | | | When you are home, take out your Wakame and |
| tasty and healthy Miso Soup you have enjoyed | | | | soak it in a bowl of water, you only need a |
| there. Here is the proper way to make it as I | | | | teaspoon of flakes or if you have the salted |
| learned from a great Japanese cook. | | | | variety take about a six inch strand. The |
| You can now have this delicious hot soup in your | | | | quantities are to your taste. Completely wash out |
| home any time you want. You will most likely find | | | | the salt in the fresh strand of Wakame and then |
| that it tastes as good or better than at your | | | | put it in a fresh bowl of water to soak while you |
| favorite restaurant. | | | | are cooking. Sometimes it actually is better to |
| First you have to locate the right ingredients and | | | | soak salted Wakame for an hour or longer so |
| that will require going to the right grocery store. | | | | that it is more tender. I usually keep a soaked |
| You need to look up where the closest Oriental | | | | supply in my refrigerator and make more every |
| Grocery or Japanese Grocery is located. | | | | few days. If you are short on time, cut the |
| When you visit this establishment, go to the | | | | washed fresh salted Wakame into one inch pieces |
| refrigerated section and purchase a small tub of | | | | and boil it in the Dashi you are making as this |
| Miso. There should be a selection of different | | | | works nicely to tenderize the Wakame. |
| types of Miso paste. If possible try to buy a light | | | | Wash a few Shiitake mushrooms with water and |
| or medium colored variety for your first soup. It | | | | discard the tough stems. Slice each mushroom |
| should cost about five dollars and have about a | | | | into quarter inch strips. For the soup, the object is |
| half pound of Miso paste in it. This will keep you in | | | | to boil a pot of water with a Dashi bag. Figure |
| Miso soup for a while and you will also find that | | | | about a quart per 2 people but this is really |
| Miso is great for other recipes in the future. | | | | something you can do by eye. Take your Shiitake |
| Find fresh Tofu in the refrigerated area also and | | | | mushrooms and add them to the soup. Boil gently |
| buy a small tub. I usually buy the firm variety so | | | | 5 or 10 minutes to cook the mushrooms. Bring |
| that it does not crumble while in the soup. A nice | | | | down the heat to a gentle simmer and add a |
| thing about making Miso soup is that the entire | | | | couple tablespoons of Miso paste as per your |
| recipe is really up to your taste and each cook | | | | taste. Remember how it tasted at the restaurant, |
| has there own variables of each ingredient. | | | | use this as your guide to deciding how much Miso |
| You also need to find or ask for "Negi". If that | | | | to add. You will have to stir the Miso paste a bit |
| sounds strange, don't worry, that means scallion | | | | to dissolve it. A good trick to help dissolve the |
| or green onion in Japanese. Buy a small bunch of | | | | Miso is to put it into a strainer and rub it through |
| Negi. You also need some "Wakame". Wakame is | | | | into the soup. Taste your soup and make |
| the tasty green leaf vegetable that you may | | | | adjustments to the amount Miso as needed. Do |
| have noticed before in Miso soup. It is a special | | | | not be concerned over ingredient amounts, just |
| sea vegetable, seaweed, if you will. Wakame can | | | | taste as you go and make your soup to your |
| either be bought dried in a small couple oz packet, | | | | own taste. |
| alternately you can purchase a small plastic | | | | OK, let the Soup continue to simmer gently and if |
| package of about a quarter pound of salted fresh | | | | you are soaking Wakame, drain it and slice it into |
| Wakame. Now you should find a small package of | | | | one inch pieces. Put the Wakame in the soup and |
| fresh Shiitake mushrooms. | | | | let it cook about 5 minutes. |
| Finally buy some "Dashi", this can come in teabags | | | | Take about half the tub of Tofu and cut it into |
| that contain the Dashi. It is a very mild and tasty | | | | cubes. I always think it is fun to cube Tofu! Put |
| fish stock flavoring. There usually is a big selection | | | | the Tofu cubes into the soup and let it heat up |
| of types so you can ask someone at the grocery | | | | for a minute or two but do not boil, just let it |
| store which one they recommend. | | | | heat the Tofu. |
| If you read my article on making Japanese style | | | | Next, find your "Negi, do you remember what |
| rice, you could also pick up the correct rice to | | | | that is? Clean one stalk and with a very sharp |
| make that you can eat with your soup. | | | | knife and cutting board, finely slice it crosswise |
| So, to make Miso Soup, here is your list of | | | | and put the Negi (scallion) aside for later. |
| ingredients to buy and a description of each: | | | | That's it! You are done! |
| | | | Serve the soup into small bowls and put some of |
| 1. Miso Paste -- soybean paste | | | | the fresh uncooked Negi on the top of the soup |
| 2. Dashi tea bags -- soup stock in teabag form. | | | | right before you eat it. |
| 3. Wakame -- seaweed, either dried or salted | | | | I am now going to teach you one more useful |
| fresh is ok | | | | Japanese word. If you remember it, you can |
| 4. Negi -- scallion | | | | definitely feel good saying it while you are eating |
| 5. Shiitake -- mushroom | | | | something that is particularly wonderful. |
| 6. Tofu - soybean curd - this is an excellent | | | | Oishii! |
| source of protein, by the way. Resist the urge to | | | | You can pronounce it like this: Oyy Shee! |
| buy anything else right now because it is time to | | | | It means delicious! |