Make miso soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Boston Globe

04-03-2025

But first you'll need miso, which can be found at many grocery stores. For the best selection, and some other ingredients you'll need, I recommend going to a Japanese grocery store, or any Asian grocer near you. You'll find many varieties of miso there, each with its own character.
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To help sort through the options, I reached out to Namiko Hirasawa Chen, creator of
In Japan, you'll find hundreds of kinds of miso, Chen says. But in the United States, the most common types are red, white, and yellow miso. There's also awase miso, a mixture of two or more kinds. Miso is made with a fermentation starter (koji) that is combined with the soybeans and salt. Rice koji is the most common of these, although you'll sometimes find soybean or barley.
'If you're new to miso, the easiest way to shop is by color. For a bolder flavor and saltier taste, go for red miso. Choose white miso for a sweeter, less salty, and more delicate taste,' she says. 'Remember that each type of miso has a different level of saltiness and intensity. My advice is to taste the flavor and decide how much you add to your soup. It's better to add less miso at first, taste your soup, then add more according to your preference.' Chen encourages home cooks to keep several kinds of miso on hand and experiment with different flavor combinations. But if you're looking for a starting point, she recommends Hikari Miso's
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The other key to making miso soup is dashi, Japanese stock. It's quick and easy if you have the needed ingredients: kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). It also comes in convenient powder and packet form; the
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Ryan Huddle
Following is Chen's recipe for traditional miso soup with tofu, the kind you're likely familiar with from Japanese restaurants. I love to make it for breakfast. I'll eat it with a steaming bowl of rice and umeboshi, pickled plums, sometimes adding broiled salmon if I've got it. Miso soup is best when it's fresh, so prepare only as much as you need at a time. You can make the dashi in advance, so it won't take long. A good ratio to start with is 1 tablespoon of miso to 1 cup dashi. Then taste and adjust.
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Miso soup can also be a canvas for creativity. 'In Japan, we cherish the changing of the seasons and enjoy many variations on miso soup with in-season produce and proteins,' Chen says. 'In spring, I make miso soup with cabbage or Manila (asari) clams. In summertime, I'll add fresh sweet corn or sliced okra. We also enjoy refreshing cold miso soup when the weather is very hot!' In the fall she might add kabocha, and cold weather calls for
This recipe is your starting point. The rest is up to you.
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Globe staff
MISO SOUP WITH TOFU
Serves 4
DASHI
4 cups water
1 large piece kombu (dried kelp), about 10 grams or a 4-inch square
1 cup packed katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
1.
In a medium saucepan, combine the water and kombu. If you have time, let the kombu soak for 30 minutes. Over a medium-low flame, slowly heat the water, for about 10 minutes. Just before it reaches a boil, remove the kombu. (For a vegan or vegetarian miso soup, you can stop here and use this kombu dashi as your base.)
2.
Add katsuobushi to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer briefly, about 30 seconds.
3.
Take pot off the heat and let katsuobushi steep for 10 minutes. Strain liquid into a container. Use immediately, store covered in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or freeze for up to 2 weeks.
MISO SOUP
4 tablespoons miso
7 ounces soft or silken tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
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1 tablespoon dried wakame seaweed
1 scallion, cut into thin rounds
1.
In a medium saucepan, bring the dashi to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat.
2.
Put the miso in a ladle, then lower the ladle into the pot until the miso is just immersed in dashi, stirring the paste into the broth with chopsticks or a fork to incorporate. (Alternately, you can dissolve the miso in a small bowl in a bit of dashi, then stir back into the pot.) Depending on the size of your ladle, you may want to do this 1 or 2 tablespoons of miso at a time. Taste as you go until it's how you like it.
3.
When the miso is fully dissolved and stirred into the dashi, gently slide in the tofu cubes, taking care not to break them. Let the soup warm them through; if needed, return the pot to a low flame to rewarm.
4.
Add the wakame and scallions to the pot, then serve, ladling into individual bowls.
Adapted from Namiko Hirasawa Chen,
Devra First can be reached at