Here are my notes on Miso soup which I thinke I may have posted (to
not universal acclaim (g) in alf food.sushi.

Miso Soup



This soup is served every morning in Japan flavored with seasonal
vegetables. There are several different kinds of miso paste available
in the United States. Shiro-miso paste is a mild one and is low in
salt. On the other hand, aka-miso is very salty and has a different,
stronger fragrance than shiro-miso. Miso soup base is made out of a
fish stock called (hon-)dashi. You can purchase dashi at any Oriental
food shop.



Basic instructions (JVS)



About one tsp dashi for 2 cups soup. Dissolve the dashi in water, add
vegetables needing cooking and possibly a ½ tsp grated ginger. Soy
sauce is always needed . about 1 tab for two cups soup. Dashi is made
from dried bonito but the old-fish taste diminishes after cooking for
10 minutes. Suspend 1 tab miso in 1 tab water and stir in. Heat but
don't boil. Add green onions and serve.



It's horribly untraditional and cross-cultural contaminated but 1 tab
vinegar and ¼ tsp garlic-chili does no harm at all! Seven-spice powder
also is good.



You can enjoy almost any vegetable with this soup, from lettuce to
snow pea pods. Here's a list of vegetables you might want to try in
the miso soup.





Vegetables (gu) and preparation suggestions



.. Chinese cabbage, cut into bite-size squares or triangles

· Cabbage, cut into bite-size squares or triangles

· Lettuce, cut into bite-size squares or triangles

· Green onions, sliced

.. Very thinly sliced garlic can be added at end like green
onions

· Onions, sliced

· Leeks, sliced or chopped

· Okra, chopped

· Snow pea pods

· Mushrooms, sliced (possibly cooked as a "hard veg.")

· Bean sprouts (remember to blanch first)

· Tofu, cut into small cubes

· Wakame seaweed

· Natto beans (minced?)



· Butternut squash*, thinly sliced

.. Green beans*

· Daikon*, thinly sliced

· Potatoes*, thinly sliced

· Sweet potatoes*, thinly sliced



* These hard vegetables must be cooked for ten minutes or so.

Not recommended: green pepper, celery (vegetables with strong flavor)



Some definitions.



Shoyu soy sauce

Tamari thick soy sauce

Wakame dried seaweed

Nori dried laver seaweed

Gari pickled ginger


--
James V. Silverton
Potomac, Maryland, USA