Miso Soup With Tofu (Print Version)

Traditional Japanese soup with miso, tofu, and seaweed. Light, comforting, and ready in 20 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Broth

01 - 4 cups dashi stock, vegetarian

→ Soup Base

02 - 3 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste

→ Tofu & Vegetables

03 - 7 ounces silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
04 - 2 tablespoons dried wakame seaweed
05 - 2 scallions, finely sliced

# How-To:

01 - In a medium saucepan, bring the dashi stock to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
02 - While the stock is warming, soak the dried wakame seaweed in a small bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.
03 - Place the miso paste in a small bowl. Add a ladleful of hot dashi and whisk until smooth and completely dissolved.
04 - Gently add the tofu cubes and soaked wakame to the simmering dashi. Heat for 2 to 3 minutes until warmed through, being careful not to break the tofu.
05 - Remove the soup from heat. Stir in the dissolved miso paste gently. Do not boil after adding miso to preserve probiotics and flavor.
06 - Ladle into bowls and garnish with sliced scallions. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in twenty minutes but tastes like you've been simmering it all day.
  • The probiotics in miso actually help your digestion, so you're nourishing yourself while you're warming up.
  • One bowl can be a starter, a palate cleanser, or a light supper depending on your mood.
02 -
  • Never boil miso after you add it—I learned this the hard way when I kept heating it and wondering why it tasted flat and one-dimensional instead of bright and alive.
  • Silken tofu breaks if you stir too aggressively, so use a gentle hand and a soft spoon when you're moving things around in the pot.
03 -
  • Buy silken tofu the day you're making soup—it's delicate and doesn't keep well once you bring it home, but that means you know it's fresh.
  • If you can't find wakame, use any soft seaweed you find, or make the soup without it and let the miso and tofu be the stars.
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