Miso Soup

Miso soup is a classic Japanese dish, but I can suggest a variant with an Italian twist. Here’s the traditional recipe with a little twist:

Ingredients

• Miso (fermented soybean paste) 2 tablespoons
• Dashi (Japanese broth, can be substituted with vegetable broth) 4 cups
• Cubed tofu 100 g
• Dried wakame seaweed 1 tablespoon
• Thinly sliced fresh scallion for garnishing
• Shiitake (or other mushrooms) 50 g
• (For the Italian variant) A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil for garnishing

Preparation

1. Start by soaking the wakame seaweed in a cup of water for about 15 minutes.
2. Heat the dashi (or vegetable broth) in a pot until it’s nearly boiling. It should not boil to avoid losing the nutritious properties of the miso.
3. Add sliced mushrooms and let them cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the cubed tofu.
5. In a separate bowl, dissolve the miso with a bit of hot broth until smooth, then gently pour it into the pot with the broth.
6. Add the soaked wakame seaweed and cook over low heat for a couple of minutes without boiling the soup.
7. Serve the miso soup hot and garnish with the thinly sliced fresh scallion.
8. To add an Italian touch, finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh basil leaves.

Fun Fact

Miso soup is an essential part of the Japanese diet, usually consumed as a starter or accompaniment to main meals. Considered a healthy food, it is a source of probiotics due to the fermentation of miso. With the addition of a drizzle of oil and basil, we give the recipe a Mediterranean accent that complements the umami of the soup with Italian flavors.