Easy Miso Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What do you put in miso soup? ›

If you love a vibrant taste, use your miso soup as the foundation on which you build other great flavors. Add ingredients like mushrooms, red and green peppers, edamame, onions, leeks and other vegetables. The combination of such foods thickens the broth and benefits more than your tastebuds.

Miso soup is deceptively simple. It contains just a handful of ingredients: fermented bean paste (a.k.a. miso), vegetables, and hot water or stock. Heck, you don't even have to use tofu (although if you do, make sure it's the right kind; more on that in a moment).

*STIR MISO to preserve the beneficial bacteria – stir the miso paste into your cup of hot water instead of pouring boiling water over the miso as high heat can destroy the healthful bacteria; this simple technique will help ensure you get maximum “nu*tritional bang for your bite.” MISO is fermented soybean paste.

Miso soup is low calorie, low fat, and high in nutrient content, so it is safe to eat daily. However, it does have a high salt content. So, those on blood thinning medication or who have heart problems (including high blood pressure and heart disease) may want to limit their consumption of miso soup.

1. May support gut health. The fermentation process involved in the production of miso promotes levels of beneficial bacteria, known as probiotics. These bacteria are thought to help a range of health issues, including digestion and gut health.

Rich in nutrients: Miso contains many healthy vitamins and minerals like vitamin K, manganese, zinc, protein and calcium. Many of these nutrients support essential structures like the bones and nervous system. Improves digestion: Because miso is high in probiotics, it helps the body maintain healthy bacteria levels.

In a saucepan on the stove or in a mug in the microwave, heat water just before boiling. Stir the white miso paste into hot water until it dissolves completely. Enjoy with a spoon or sip straight from the cup!

Every miso has a different level of salt, and the worst thing you want to do is to add too much miso to your soup. A general rule of thumb is to use about 1 tablespoon per cup (U.S. measure, 236.5ml) or 1/4 l (250ml) but if you have a very salty red miso for example, you may need less.

So when you are trying out a new miso, always add less than you think you need. It's easy to add more. Since we'll be using 1000 ml / around 4 cups for this recipe, we'll start with 3 tablespoons and add more if we think we need it. (See: Japanese miso primer for more about different types of miso.)

taste can be subjective though, possibly other ingredients giving off sourness, or you added miso too hot. Miso's microbes can take high heat but to have good flavor you may not want to add miso in boiling broth.

How long does miso paste last once opened? ›

Sweet miso should be consumed within three weeks of opening, white miso within 3 months. Darker misos, such as barley, brown rice and red miso keep for at least 6 months, and soybean miso for 12 months. Beyond these periods the miso wont spoil, but the flavour and colour will change becoming less aromatic.

Don't bring the soup to a boil!

Because miso is a fermented food, it's teeming with probiotics. Boiling miso kills these beneficial bacteria, so you'll miss out on some of its health benefits.

Eating fermented foods such as miso may improve digestion, reduce gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. Research suggests that the fungal strain found in miso may reduce the risk of inflammatory bowel disease as well.

Miso contains amino acids that can help boost the production of melatonin, a natural hormone that helpsmake you sleepy. Bananas: An excellent source of magnesium and potassium, which can help relax overstressed muscles. They also contain tryptophan, which convert to serotonin and melatonin.

“Traditionally, rice miso is more expensive than barley miso, because the grain is more expensive,” explains Chung. Accordingly, wealthier merchants could afford to purchase more expensive miso made with rice, whereas farmers and townsfolk often ate miso made with millet, barley, or other common grains.

Miso, a.k.a. fermented soybean paste, is made by combining just three simple ingredients—soybeans, salt, and koji (a type of fungus cultivated on rice and other grains)—and allowing the mixture to age for months or even years.

You could add thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms at the end; fried agedashi tofu, clams and even chicken are all fair game when bulking up miso soup at home. Anchored by miso, the Japanese paste made from fermented soybeans and grains, the quotidian dish is riffable, restorative and easy on the stomach.

Use vegetable stock: Instead of using dashi, you can use a vegetable stock as the base for your miso soup. Simply simmer the vegetables of your choice in water to create a flavorful broth, then add miso paste and any additional ingredients to the broth.