Mushroom Miso Soup
This miso-enriched brothy soup is pleasing on many levels. You get complex flavor with minimal effort, especially if you make the dashi in advance. All the little garnishes are optional.
- Total:
- Serves: 2 persons
Ingredients
- 1piece of kombu, about 6 inches square
- 3large dried shiitake mushrooms, crumbled
- 3teaspoons light soy sauce
- 2teaspoons mirin
- 2tablespoons sake
- 2teaspoons sugar
- Salt to taste
- 3ounces fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced, about 2 cups
- 3ounces King oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2teaspoons sesame oil
- 2teaspoons light soy sauce
- ½teaspoon grated garlic
- 1teaspoon grated ginger
- Salt and pepper
- 3tablespoons white or red miso
- 6ounces silken tofu, at room temperature
- Enoki mushroom tips
- 2tablespoons slivered scallions
- 4shiso leaves, slivered
- Sunflower sprouts
- 2tablespoons slivered toasted nori
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Step 1
Make the dashi: Put kombu, dried shiitakes, soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a large soup pot. Add 6 cups cold water. Place over medium heat, allow the liquid to barely reach a boil, then reduce heat to low and let cook at a very slow simmer for about 30 minutes. Skim foam as necessary. Let cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and add salt to taste. (Dashi may be prepared up to 2 days in advance.)Step 2
Put the sliced mushrooms in a bowl and drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce. Add garlic and ginger and season with salt and pepper. Toss and let marinate for 10 minutes.Step 3
Put dashi in a large soup pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Add mushroom mixture and cook gently for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are just tender.Step 4
Remove 1/2 cup hot broth from pot and place in a small bowl. Stir in miso to dilute, then return miso-broth mixture to the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning. Once the miso has been added, do not let the soup boil.Step 5
To serve, cut the tofu in half and place a 3-ounce chunk in each of two large bowls. Ladle 2 cups of hot soup over the tofu. Sprinkle with enoki mushroom tips, scallions, shiso, sunflower sprouts, nori, red pepper and toasted sesame seeds as desired.