Some Thoughts On Miso Soup

Everyone has heard of miso soup. Some people love it others can’t stand it. I’m pretty sure it’s an acquired taste, but from everything I’ve read, it is a taste worth acquiring to promote your overall health. Just remember, miso soup can taste a thousand different ways. If you keep trying, you’ll figure out a way to make a miso soup that you will absolutely love! (I recommend newbies use a light miso rather than a very rich, aged, dark miso.)

Miso origins have been traced back to China as far back at the 4th century BC. According to Japanese mythology, “Miso is a gift to mankind from the gods to assure health, longevity and happiness.”

I don’t know about all that mythology stuff, I just know that I eat miso soup because it makes me feel fabulous!

Miso soup isn’t a meal in itself, rather it’s a healthy way to start a balanced meal. It gets the juices flowing so to speak and aids in healthy digestion.

What I have learned from cooking classes at the Natural Epicurean, workshops with Warren Kramer, and hanging out with my macrobiotic friends down at Casa de Luz is to always strive for simplicity. Miso soup is easy to make, but there are still some misconceptions when it comes to this ancient dish.

Misconception 1: If you put some miso paste into an existing soup or into a cup of warm water, then you have miso soup! This is not correct. Miso soup includes water, miso, a land vegetable, a sea vegetable and a garnish.

Misconception 2: Don’t cook miso! We have all heard that you should not boil miso because it will kill the healthy, live bacteria, but you do need to simmer it over a low flame for a minute or two. This is crucial for activating these valuable enzymes.

Misconception 3: Miso soup has to have tofu in it. Absolutely not. If you don’t like tofu, please don’t put it in your miso soup!

Miso soup is made using five ingredients. Of course you can add more, but these are the five basics that must be included for a balance, healthy soup.

Water (Pure filtered water or spring water.) This is essential for great tasting soup.

Land vegetable (Any will do, but some of the more popular ones are bok choy, daikon, and kabocha.) My personal favorites are beets, kale, and sliced sweet onions.

Sea vegetable (Yes this is sea weed, but doesn’t sea vegetable sound much more appealing?) Feel free to use any sea vegetable, though wakame is the preferred choice.

Miso (They say that the longer you eat miso, the more powerful miso you will be able to handle.) I am still a lightweight in the miso department. Chickpea and Sweet White miso are my favorites, though I try to incorporate 3 year barley miso into my soups as much as possible.

Garnish (The garnish is not cooked into the soup, but added at the very end.) Chopped scallions, parsley or roasted pepita seeds work great for this.

So making miso soup is no big deal. It’s a simple soup that’s easy to make and has been around for thousands of years. If your first attempt at miso soup is less than delicious, please keep trying.  Some extras that I like to add to my miso soup are udon noodles, tofu, shitake mushrooms and chick peas. One of the first miso soup recipes I was introduced to was Cornellia’s Healing Miso Soup.

Tagged as: health, macrobiotic, miso, soup