Basic miso soup

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup made by dissolving miso paste into a broth (dashi), then adding various ingredients to complete the dish. It’s an essential part of the Japanese dining table and is naturally enjoyed during breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Its compatibility with white rice is unmatched, making it truly one of the foundational elements of Japanese cuisine.

Personally, I find that miso soup naturally enhances the taste of rice. And on hectic mornings, I sometimes pour miso soup over rice to make an instant miso soup rice bowl—a surprisingly addictive, quick, and satisfying meal. It’s the perfect ally for busy modern life.

The obvious star of this recipe is miso, with it’s umami-rich flavour – but the undercover MVP is actually the dashi broth. One might think you could just add miso to hot water in a pinch, but one would be wrong! The dashi creates a foundational depth of flavour with which the miso synergises beautifully. This pairing is so essential that miso paste is sometimes sold with the dashi added in, to make sure you don’t forget it! Liquid or granulated instant dashi are easy enough to add though. Or better yet, make dashi yourself for ultimate flavour customization.

Miso soup is a highly adaptable dish. By changing the ingredients, or the type of dashi or miso, you can enjoy a wide range of flavors and styles. My favorite combination is a simple one: fried tofu (aburaage) and wakame seaweed. The soft, flavourful tofu soaks up the rich miso taste, bringing a sense of calm the moment it touches your mouth. The recipe below is simpler yet, with the assumption that tofu and green onion are relatively easy to find outside of Japan.

Ingredient Variations

• Classics: tofu, green onions, wakame seaweed, fried tofu, nameko mushrooms, daikon radish, potatoes
• Seafood style: with clams, shrimp or sea bream
• Hearty style: with pork and root vegetables, like in tonjiru (pork miso soup)

Miso Varieties and Their Flavor Profiles

• Red miso: Rich, deep flavor with strong umami
• White miso: Mellow, slightly sweet and gentle
• Awase miso (mixed miso): Balanced, versatile blend of red and white miso

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Basic miso soup

This recipe introduces a simple miso soup with tofu and green onions. A comforting addition to any meal of the day!

Servings 3

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1/2 block silken tofu
• 2 stalks green onions

Ingredients for soup broth

• 2 cups dashi broth
• 2.5 Tbsp miso paste

Instructions

• Drain the tofu and cut it into bite-sized cubes. Chop the green onions and set aside.
  
• Heat the dashi broth, add the tofu, and gently simmer.
  
• Turn off the heat and dissolve* the miso paste into the soup. Add the chopped onions and briefly heat through. Serve and enjoy!
  

Notes

* To dissolve the miso, we used a miso muddler. Before owning this handy tool, I would scoop some of the broth with a ladle and use a fork to whisk the miso paste into the soup in the ladle, then release it, scoop some more, whisk in more miso, and keep repeating until all the miso was dissolved. Much easier and quicker with the muddler 😉

Course: Appetizer, Basic, Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Keyword: Basic, Dashi, Green onion, Miso, Quick & Easy, Tofu

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