The majority of people I know, friends, family and customers consume Miso only when going to a Japanese restaurant!
Meanwhile, in Japan it is used traditionally with every single meal including breakfast.
Miso soup has excellent therapeutic qualities. It helps our body and in particular our liver to purify itself, it is rich in live ferment , that can help us to restore intestinal bacterial flora. Combined with daikon radish and shitake mushrooms help our body to get read of the accumulation of saturated fats and salt deposited due to a diet rich in animal derived food. Should be used every day!
Since miso is rich in live enzymes, it must always be added to the water of your soup at the end, not to be boiled!
More info about Miso in Whole food, Whole energy
This is the way I prepare Miso soup
It is more like an earthy soup than the classic miso that accompanies sushi. The ingredients can vary , the constant one for the best therapeutic result I will write in the first list.
I love to cut all the ingredients in different shapes, it is a sort of meditative practice.
If you find some vegetable in your fridge that needs to be used don’t feel bound to the recipe, add your own ingredients, if you don’t have shitake use other mushrooms , use carrots instead of pumpkin, make your own combinations the same way I do mine! This is not a perfect replica of the Japanese method , it is my combination of ingredients. I am also aware of the fact that we are so privileged to have access to so many different food cultures and suppliers and that we can experiment with different ingredients that the ones we grow up with.
For each person I use:
1 bowl of water of the size of the bowl you plan to use for your soup .
(About 200 ml of liquid)
1 tablespoon of miso
3 or 4 shitake mushroom depend on the size, sliced in 2 or 4
( you can use dried one but need to soak in hot water over night)
A piece of leek diagonally sliced or ¼ onion
Few thin slices of daikon ( in quarter moons)
A tiny bit of wakame seaweed, they became 4 times their size once soaked! ( soak them before using them , take about 5 minutes in boiling water)
I like to add:
1 piece of komku about 2 cm long (dried kelp) for the stock soaked in hot water for a couple of hour (not essential but give a nice taste)
Mung beans sprout
Sliced cabbage
Cubed pumpkin
Kale or spinach chopped
Grated ginger
Spring onions and abundant parsley for garnish
Few drops of roasted sesame oil ( optional not essential)
Gomasio
Braggs Liquid Amino (optional)
Method
Bring the necessary water/stock (made with kombu) to boil in your stock pot and start adding the ginger, daikon, mushrooms, pumpkin and leeks/ onion.
Simmer for 7 to 10 minutes to combine the flavors and until the ingredients are tender, add the cabbage and the spinach/kale and cook for a couple of extra minutes.
Turn off the stove. Transfer a couple of spoons of your soup liquid in a smaller bowl, add the miso paste and mix it with the water.
Add the miso to the rest of the soup, stir properly, add the soaked wakame, parsley, a few drops of sesame oil, liquid aminos and sprinkle with gomasio on top.
I like to serve this soup with a bowl of brown rice. I press one umeboshi plum in the rice, sprinkle with gomasio and because I am Italian, add some olive oil!
You can add some steamed fish on the side for a simple comforting dinner.
Some New Miso ideas
In the last couple of months I have used Miso to make a paste with avocado, I called this Guacamiso! And spread it on my breakfast toast. One teaspoon of Miso paste each avocado is enough, add lemon and salt, it is delicious with cucumber or pickled radish!
Add miso to your porridge. One teaspoon per person is enough to have that subtle salty-umami flavor, I still add butter or ghee and sliced bananas or I make a savory version with just roasted nuts and seeds.
Add miso to your sauces for salads, steamed veggies or simply over a bowl of rice:
To make a jar of dressing mix 2 tablespoons of miso with 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar, or white vinegar, some parsley, 2 teaspoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of seeds or nuts , walnut are my favorite, you can mix olive oil with sunflower oil. Blitz in your food processor and use !
I sometimes make a different sauce for steamed fish with miso, lemon juice and leeks. My favorite is Mahi-mahi, in the Pacific is called “Dorado” in the Mediterranean sea “Lampuka” in Italy we call it Lampuga.
I cook the leeks first in some olive oil , then add miso diluted with cold water, add some lemon juice and finally the steamed fish filet, delicate and light, chopped parsley on top!
