Miso Soup
| February 26, 2012 | Filled under Asian, Main Dishes, Pasta, Rice, & Grains, Soup & Sandwiches, Vegetables |
Miso soup can easily be transformed from a restaurant starter into a full meal that’s low in calories and high in comfort. I’m not sure if this is a traditional way to consume miso soup, but for me, it’s a convenient and healthy way to get a lot of veggies and tofu in with minimal effort and time. Plus, the gluten-free buckwheat soba noodles transform this soup into a substantial entrée. So whenever I’m feeling like I need to detox, a little sniffle-y or want dinner in fifteen minutes, this is my go-to meal.
I was inspired to try this at home after reading about it on Heidi Swanson’s über popular food blog 101 Cookbooks. She’s a vegetarian cook/photographer/writer whose online food and recipe journal has led to several cookbooks and a huge following of both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
Her post on miso soup offers some great tips on types of miso, ingredient ideas, and several ways to jazz this up (or down) to suit the seasons, your palette and what’s in your fridge. She encourages her readers to use her post as less of a miso soup recipe and “more an encouragement to give it a go in your own kitchen” which is exactly what I did. Thanks Heidi.
Important GF note about soba: Not all soba noodles are gluten-free. Soba are Japanese buckwheat noodles, however, most store-bought packaged soba contains a high wheat flour content. So when shopping for soba, make sure to carefully read the ingredient list and only purchase ones that contain 100% buckwheat flour (which is gluten-free). It’ll be pricier than the ones blended with wheat, but they taste so much better – the buckwheat flavour is what gives soba its unique nutty flavour.
Miso Soup Recipe (Adapted from 101 Cookbooks) Serves 2 or 3
Ingredients
- 3 ounces gluten-free dried soba noodles (100% buckwheat)
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp dried wakame seaweed
- 2 to 4 Tbsp miso paste, to taste (I use organic white miso)
- 2 to 3 ounces of firm or silken tofu cut into 1/2″ cubes (preferably organic)
- A handful of green veggies, such as spinach, watercress or bok choy, washed and trimmed
- 2 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 2 green onions, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced
Directions
Cook noodles in salted boiling water until al dente, drain and rinse in cold water. Portion into 2 or 3 soup bowls.
In a separate pot, add 4 cups of water and bring to boil. Add mushrooms and bring to boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk miso paste with a tablespoon of boiling water from the pot until smooth. Add wakame and tofu to soup and bring to boil for a few minutes. Add vegetables and remove from heat. Whisk in miso mixture and stir. Taste and if needed, add more miso paste prepared the same way. Ladle soup and vegetables over noodles in soup bowls and garnish with green onions.
Humm it looks so yummy!!
I love soups so this is a MUST try one for sure
Aw thanks T!