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Miso Soup Recipe and Miso Paste
A miso soup recipe usually starts with a soup stock flavored with kombu seaweed. Wakame seaweed is another type of kelp that is usually found in miso soup.
Learn how to make miso soup the authentic Japanese way and then you can create your own version of this famous Japanese soup.
Miso paste is another key ingredient that goes into miso soup and it is one of the key flavoring agents used in Japanese cuisine.
Kombu seaweed and Wakame seaweed are used extensively in Japanese cuisine as well and are two ingredients usually found in a miso soup recipe.
How to Make Miso Soup
Kombu Seaweed or Konbu Seaweed
Kombu seaweed also known as Konbu is an edible sea vegetable or kelp. Kelp is a large seaweed belonging to the brown algae class.
Kombu is used a lot in Japanese cuisine and is one of the main ingredients in making a dashi or Japanese soup stock.
Kombu has a sweet taste and is high in umami or free glutamate which is why it is a popular choice in flavoring soups and sauces.
You can purchase Kombu in its dried or fresh state depending on where you live. This type of kelp is very rich in iodine and important minerals.
How to Make Miso Soup the Vegan Way
Miso Paste
Miso paste is a Japanese seasoning which is typically made by fermenting a grain such as wheat, rice, buckwheat, or barley with soybeans.
Mold and salt are added and then it is aged anywhere from 3 months to 3 years or longer.
Miso is a good source of protein, but can be very high in sodium. Unpasteurized miso will contain probiotics and be higher in nutrients.
Different varieties of miso have different tastes which can range from sweet to savory. Miso paste ranges in color from a light cream to a red to a very dark brown color.
Look for miso made from organic and non-GMO soybeans - very important. Also, you want miso that was made by traditional methods instead of commercially produced miso.
Miso is very rich in unbound or free glutamate, so you want to be careful not to use to much of this flavor enhancer.
Wakame Seaweed
Wakame seaweed is another edible sea vegetable which is actually a type of seaweed known as kelp. Wakame has a subtle sweet flavor and is typically used in miso soups and in salads.
Wakame is high in iodine and is a good source of vitamins and minerals.
You can find this sea vegetable usually in dried form and sometimes fresh. Dried wakame will need to be reconstituted before it is used in Japanese dishes.
How to Make Dashi or Japanese Stock
Now that you know how to make miso soup and a dashi soup stock, you can make your own variation of this famous Japanese soup.
You can add in whatever vegetable that appeals to your taste buds and leave out whatever you don't want in your miso soup.