Miso Soup with Greens

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Miso Soup with Greens

 

Recipe By :The Voluptuous Vegan - Myra Kornfeld

Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories :

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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8 dried shiitake mushrooms

1 6-inch piece kombu

3 scallions -- thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 medium onion -- cut in half and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons shoyu

2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet sake)

8 cups water

1 6-inch piece wakame seaweed

1/2 pound bok choy (1/2 head)

1 carrot -- peeled, halved, and cut into thin half-moons

1 cup watercress leaves

3 to 4 tablespoons hatcho miso

OR

4 to 5 tablespoons mellow barley miso

 

I find myself hankering for miso soup whenever I've indulged in too much rich

food; this traditional Japanese staple makes the body feel balanced and

nourished. It's no wonder it has such a long and venerable tradition in Japan,

where so many types of miso make it possible to produce the soup differently

every time. This tangy, rich version, while familiar, will go well beyond your

expectations of what a miso soup can be. Here I've suggested hatcho miso, a

dark rich miso, and mellow barley, which has a much lighter taste. It is a good

idea to experiment with different types of miso to determine your favorites.

Garnishes that are good in miso soup include small pieces of cubed tofu,

slivered snow peas, napa cabbage, and slivers of daikon. With a delicate soup

like this one, it's best to slice the garnishes thinly. The live culture in

miso is killed when it boils, so be sure to add the miso at the last minute over

a gentle heat. Also, if you are serving only a portion of!

this soup, put the miso only in the portion that you will use.

 

Combine the shiitakes, kombu, two thirds of the scallions, the onions, shoyu,

mirin, and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce

the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Strain the broth and discard

the vegetables, reserving the shiitake mushrooms. You should have about 6 cups

of broth. Return to the pot and set aside.

 

Soak the wakame in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain, then cut out the hard

spine and chop the wakame into small pieces. You should have about 1/4 cup.

Cut the bok choy leaves away from the stems. Cut the stems into 1/4-inch dice

and the leaves into small pieces. You should have 1 cup chopped stems and 2

cups chopped leaves.

 

Remove and discard the stems from the shiitakes and thinly slice the caps.

 

Heat the broth in a medium pot. Add the shiitakes, bok choy stems, carrots, and

wakame. Simmer, partially covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and add the

watercress leaves, bok choy leaves, and the remaining scallions to the hot

broth.

 

Mix 3 tablespoons of the miso with a small amount of the hot soup in a bowl.

Dissolve the miso thoroughly, then add it to the soup pot. Taste and add more

miso if desired, dissolving it in a bit of hot liquid each time.

 

Wakame expands more when soaked than do other sea vegetables. After just 10

minutesit becomes a large, floppy leaf with a rigid spine, which you should

remove.

 

 

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 44 Calories; trace Fat (3.0% calories

from fat); 1g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 46mg

Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Vegetable.

 

 

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0