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Miso paste
The choice of miso paste for the soup defines a great deal of its character and flavor. Most miso pastes can be categorized into red (akamiso), white (shiromiso), or black (kuromiso), with darker pastes having a heartier, saltier flavor. There are many variations within these themes, including regional variations, such as Sendai miso; pastes designed to be used with specific misoshiru ingredients, such as yasaimiso, a white miso for use with miso-vegetable soup; and seasonal variations.
Stock
The most common dashi soup stocks for miso soup are made of niboshi (dried baby sardines), kombu (dried kelp), katsuobushi (thin shavings of dried and smoked bonito, aka skipjack tuna), or hoshi-shiitake (dried shiitake mushrooms). The kombu can also be used in combination with katsuobushi or hoshi-shiitake. The kelp and/or shiitake dashi serve as a vegetarian soup stock.
Outside of Japan, American or European style miso soup is sometimes made by dissolving miso in a Western vegetable stock. The stock might include ingredients such as negi, carrot, potato and daikon radish. In some versions of the dish chicken stock, Western-style fish stock, and other non-dashi bases can even be used, but there is some debate over whether or not miso soups made using these non-traditional bases count as true misoshiru. Christian Japanese refugees who came to the Philippines during the Edo period brought along miso soup, which has become a staple of Philippine cuisine, but the Filipino recipe differs mainly by the inclusion of tamarind, which gives it a more sour taste than the original Japanese version.
Solid ingredients
According to Japanese custom, the solid ingredients are chosen to reflect the seasons and to provide contrasts of color, texture, and flavor. Thus negi and tofu, a strongly flavored ingredient mixed with a delicately flavored ingredient, are considered a good combination. Ingredients that float, like wakame seaweed, and ingredients that sink, like potatoes, are also good combinations. No two solid ingredients should have the same color, texture, or flavor. That way, all the ingredients will contribute uniquely to the soup. Ingredients range from mushrooms to potatoes, from seaweeds to onion, and from shrimp or fish to grated or sliced daikon. Nearly any Japanese ingredient is added to some type of misoshiru. However, misoshiru does not typically contain many ingredients beyond the stock and miso.
If pork is added to miso soup, it is called tonjiru, meaning "pork soup".
Preparation and serving
Miso soup can be prepared in several ways, depending on the chef and the style of soup. Japanese recipes usually call for most vegetables to be cooked in the simmering dashi, particularly mushrooms, daikon, carrots, potatoes, tofu, and fish. The miso is suspended separately in some dashi stock removed from the simmering mix, kept relatively cool (still hot, but below boiling) to keep the miso paste from cooking, which alters the flavour (there is some belief that cooking the miso "kills" it and reduces the health benefits of biologically active miso paste). When the vegetables are cooked, the stock is removed from heat, the miso suspension is added and mixed into the soup, any uncooked ingredients are added, and the dish is served.
In Japan, miso soup and white rice make up the central dishes of the traditional Japanese breakfast, and so most Japanese people eat miso soup at least once a day. The soup has been a favorite of commoners and royalty alike for many centuries.
The soup is usually served in lacquer bowls with lids and drunk directly from the bowl, though the solid ingredients are eaten with chopsticks.
Instant miso soup
Instant miso soup is available in single-serving packets, and generally contains dried wakame and tofu that reconstitute rapidly on the addition of hot water. These are popular in the Japanese workplace, where miso soup can be made with lunch as easily as green tea, and using the same water. Instant miso soup, however, have up to 3 times the amount of sodium and MSG. Instant miso soup is also available in many grocery stores outside of Japan. These have shelf life of between 3 and 12 months.
External links
- Miso soup recipe
- Keiichiro's Misunderstanding Thoughts of a native Japanese on soup in Japan and soup in the west.
- Varieties of Miso Soup and Miso Soup by Season from Ajinomoto, an influential Japanese food company.
- Kosher Miso soup recipe chabad.org
