Simple Miso Soup with Tofu, Mushrooms, and Wakame Seaweed
Bring the authentic taste of Japan to your kitchen with this easy miso soup recipe! It’s quick, flavorful, and packed with traditional aromas. A comforting, healthy dish you’ll want to make every day.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces shimeji mushrooms 60g, or other types of mushrooms
- 3.5 ounces silken or firm tofu
- 2 cups water or 2 cups of dashi (see Note 1)
- 2 teaspoons dashi powder omit this if you use dashi instead of water (see Note 2)
- 1.5 tablespoons miso any kind of miso (see Note 3)
- 1 tablespoon dried cut wakame
- minced green onions optional
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: Cut the stem of 2 ounces shimeji mushrooms and separate them into small clusters by hand. Cut 3.5 ounces silken or firm tofu into ½-inch pieces.
- Cook the vegetables and dashi: In a small to medium pot, add 2 cups water, 2 teaspoons dashi powder, and the shimeji mushrooms. Cover and heat over medium. If you're using ingredients that take longer to cook, like root veggies or chicken, add them at this stage. Once it comes to a boil, let it cook for another 1-2 minutes or until everything is done. For me, this step took about 12 minutes in total.
- Dissolve the miso: Turn off the heat, and slowly add 1.5 tablespoons miso, stirring with a ladle or fine-mesh strainer (see Note 4). Taste and adjust with more miso or dashi if needed.
- Add tofu and wakame: Toss in the tofu cubes and 1 tablespoon dried cut wakame. Cover with a lid and let it sit for 3-5 minutes to soften.
- Serve: Once the wakame softens, pour the soup into bowls, top with minced green onions if you like, and enjoy!
Notes
- (Note 1) Make dashi from scratch: If you'd like to make dashi from scratch, check out my post on how to make dashi from scratch (coming soon).
- (Note 2) Choosing dashi powder: Use natural dashi powder without chemicals or additives. My favorite is Kayanoya Dashi (check out the How to Use Kayanoya Dashi section for more details).
- (Note 3) Choosing miso: There are many types of miso, such as shiro (white), aka (red), and light-colored miso. Use whichever type you like, but avoid miso premixed with dashi—it doesn’t taste as good as using separate dashi and miso.
- (Note 4) Dissolving miso:Use a ladle or miso muddler to dissolve the miso into the soup, or use a fine-mesh strainer if you want to prevent the rice koji from floating in the soup.
- Start with Ingredients That Take Longer to Cook: Hard veggies like root vegetables or proteins like chicken need more time, so add them at the start to give them enough time to cook.
- Add-in Ideas: Feel free to switch up vegetables and/or proteins based on your preferences and the seasons, such as bok choy, broccoli, carrots, chicken, shrimp, different types of mushrooms, egg, and yuzu.
- Serving Suggestions: Miso soup pairs well with most Japanese dishes, but I’d avoid serving it with dishes that already use miso, like salmon with miso butter.
- To store: Once cooled, store leftovers in a pot or airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Alternatively, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks.
- To reheat: To defrost frozen miso soup, move it to the fridge a few hours before reheating. Then, heat it in a pot over medium heat, avoiding boiling to preserve the flavors and aromas.
- 💡Tip: Some add-ins, such as potatoes and tofu, don’t freeze well, so remove them before freezing.