Secret of Miso Soup - Part 1: The Dashi

Japanese cooking has always intrigued me, but I've never mastered it (or anything close). It always seemed so labor intensive. Also, there's only so much you can get out of a book - many are poorly translated and (gasp) default to the dreaded metric system, requiring yet more work in converting everything to English measurements. And for better or for worse, Japanese cooking hasn't made it onto the Food Network so I never really got a sense of how things are done.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to take a cooking course from Hiroko Shimbo last year and really started getting the hang of things including the much loved miso soup.

There's only one secret to miso soup - you must have the right ingredients. Like much of Japanese cooking, there's not a lot of room for improvisation. Have you noticed how miso soup tastes pretty much the same at every Japanese restaurant? Can't really say the same for hot and sour soup at Chinese restaurants (Chinese cooking is defnitely more freestyle in comparison).

The ingredients may be hard to come by but they do keep well. All are available at Asian markets as well as online. These are the five ingredients you'll need for miso heaven.

Top row from left to right:

1. Kombu - also known as sea kelp. This along with the dried bonito flakes is the basis of dashi, a staple Japanese stock. You can find this at most Asian markets. I picked up a packet from a Chinese market marked "sea weed" but from the appearance of it (very dark, wide pieces, a "dusty" exterior appearance) that is was probably what I was looking for.
2. Katsuobushi - dried bonito flakes. I use the pre-packaged version which I seem to have an easier time finding in Korean and Chinese markets. Japanese markets will carry the larger bag (by large, I mean family size bag of potato chip large).
3. Wakame - seaweed garnish. Completely optional. I happened to see it in the store so picked it up. I like its slippery texture in a miso soup.
4. Tofu. I like the Japanese boxed variety, it's silky and pefect for soup. Pretty much available everywhere.
5. Miso. Commonly available at most markets. If you have a choice and only want to buy one, go with the darker or red miso.



Kombu (far left), Bonito Flakes (top center), Wakame (far right top), Tofu (bottom center) and Miso Paste (bottom right)


I like to use a combination of white and red miso. White miso is a bit sweeter and less salty. Red miso on the other hand is quite salty and has a deep, almost smoky flavor. I like a bit of a salt kick in my soup and when I'm using just the white miso, I find myself having to use a lot more to get the flavor I want. So red and white it is.

Below are a couple different types of packaging. A little goes a long way so unless you are going into the miso soup making business, go for the smallest package you can (which will still in most cases be more than enough for a long, long time).




Miso Paste Options and Packaging: Red Miso (far left), White Miso (top center), Red Miso (bottom center), and White Miso (far right)

  Ingredients:

8 cups water
2 inch piece of kombu
1 small packet of bonito flakes (or a handful if you're using it from the bag)
1 small box of silken tofu
2 tablespoon miso (to taste)
1 tablespoon dried wakame (optional)

Wipe the kombu with a dry cloth, add to water and bring to simmer. Remove kombu just as small bubbles are coming to the surface. You just want the umami essence of the kombu and not a hit you over the head amount of bitter, kelpy taste (which you'll get if you take it all the way up to a boil).

Kombu - Cut off Two Inch Square for Stock

Bring Kombu up to Simmer, Remove before Boil

With the heat off, remove the kombu and add the packet of bonito flake. Let it sink to the bottom and steep for about 10 minutes.

Adding Bonito Flakes Off Heat, after Removing Kombu

Strain through a lined seive to remove all the flakes and kombu sediment. You'll be left with a clear broth that tastes subtly of the sea. Your dashi is now done.

Beautiful Dashi

Next post, making it into miso soup.