How to Make "miso Soup"

A lot of people think miso soup is easy to make-- jut miso paste dissolved in hot water. most important part of the soup is how to make broth. there're a couple of brand which already broth mixed in, but most of them are not made with natural ingredients. here's how to make miso soup in the right way. and once you know the basic, you can improvise in various ways.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• bonito flake called "hana katsuo" (not the finely shredded ones, but wide strips. usually they come in a large package). and /or dried sardine called "niboshi"
• miso paste (not the ready-made one)
• any ingredients you wish to be in the soup (I'm using sea weed and tofu this time)

1. 
    
   bonito flakes for soup stock, 'hana katsuo'

   To make bonito broth: boil water in medium size pot. put handful of bonito flake in it when it starts bubbling (the more bonito you put in, the thicker the broth becomes). stop the heat when it starts bubbling again. when all of the bonito flakes sink, drain.

2. 
    
   dried sardine, 'niboshi'

   To make dried sardine broth (this one has stronger flavor than bonito broth): cut off head, gut out and cut vertically in half of each fish (about 15 grams for 4 bowls of soup) and soak it in water for longer tan 30 minutes. put that on the stove and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes. do not bring it to boil.

3. 
    
   dried sea weed

   add ingredients you picked: typical ones are sea weed, tofu, abura-age (thin fried tofu), scallion, radish, etc. put hard vegetables in first. if you're using sea weed (you can get dried one in a convenient size of package. see the image attached. if you're using fresh one, usually it's sold pickled with salt, wash it and soak it in water for 5 minutes or so. and cut them in about 1 inch long before put in the pot.)

4. 
    

   add miso paste--about 2 T spoonful for 4 servings, and let it dissolve completely. bring up to boil and stop.

Tips & Warnings

• if you're using tofu, put it in last (after miso is added) and do not cook for long.
• you can get nice flavor if you add scallion right before serving.
• add miso a little by little, since it's very salty. taste the soup every time you add.