Miso soup

Miso soup (with tofu, wakame and scallion).

Miso soup (味噌汁, misoshiru^?) is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called "dashi" into which is mixed softened miso paste. Many ingredients are added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference.

Miso paste

Main article: Miso

The choice of miso paste for the miso soup defines a great deal of its character and flavor. Miso pastes can be categorized into red (akamiso), white (shiromiso), or mixed (awase). There are many variations within these themes, including regional variations, such as Shinshū miso or Sendai miso.

Stock

Main article: Dashi

The most common dashi soup stocks for miso soup are made of niboshi (dried baby sardines), kombu (dried kelp), katsuobushi (thin shavings of dried and smoked bonito, aka skipjack tuna), or hoshi-shiitake (dried shiitake). The kombu can also be used in combination with katsuobushi or hoshi-shiitake. The kelp and/or shiitake dashi serve as a vegetarian soup stock.

Outside Japan, American or European style miso soup is sometimes made by dissolving miso in a Western vegetable stock. The stock might include ingredients such as negi, carrot, potato and daikon radish. In some versions of the dish chicken stock, Western-style fish stock, and other non-dashi bases can even be used, but there is some debate over whether or not miso soups made using these non-traditional bases count as true misoshiru. Christian Japanese refugees who came to the Philippines during the Edo period brought along miso soup, but the Filipino recipe differs mainly by the inclusion of tamarind, which gives it a more sour taste than the original Japanese version.

Solid ingredients

According to Japanese custom, the solid ingredients are chosen to reflect the seasons and to provide contrasts of color, texture, and flavor. Thus negi and tofu, a strongly flavored ingredient mixed with a delicately flavored ingredient, are often combined. Ingredients that float, such as wakame seaweed, and ingredients that sink, such as potatoes, are also combined. Ingredients can include mushrooms, potatoes, seaweed, onion, shrimp, fish, and grated or sliced daikon. Nearly any Japanese ingredient is added to some type of misoshiru. However, misoshiru does not typically contain many ingredients beyond the stock and miso.

If pork is added to miso soup, it is called tonjiru, meaning "pork soup".

Preparation and serving

Miso soup can be prepared in several ways, depending on the chef and the style of soup. Japanese recipes usually call for most vegetables and meats to be cooked in the simmering dashi, particularly mushrooms, daikon, carrots, potatoes, tofu, and fish. The miso is suspended separately in some dashi stock removed from the simmering mix, to keep the miso paste from cooking, which alters the flavour, kills beneficial bacteria, and reduces the health benefits of biologically active miso paste. When the vegetables are cooked, the stock is removed from heat, the miso suspension is added and mixed into the soup, any uncooked ingredients are added, and the dish is served.

In Japan, miso soup and white rice make up the central dishes of the traditional Japanese breakfast. The soup has been a favorite of commoners and royalty alike for many centuries. But there are also many other dishes involving breakfast. They are all quite small, some include egg, fish, and natto which is a fermented soy bean. The soup is usually served in lacquer bowls with lids and drunk directly from the bowl, though the solid ingredients are eaten with chopsticks.

Instant miso soup

Instant miso soup is available in single-serving packets. It generally contains dried wakame and tofu with soy beans that reconstitute rapidly on the addition of hot water. These are popular in the Japanese workplace, where miso soup can be made with lunch as easily as green tea and using the same water. Instant miso soup, however, has up to three times the amount of sodium and MSG.^{[citation needed]} Not all Instant Miso soups contain MSG. Those that don't will list it in their ingredients, or on their packaging. Mishima brand is an all natural Miso Soup that contains no MSG, however, some consider the sodium content high.

Instant miso soup is available in many grocery stores outside of Japan. It has a shelf life of 3 to 12 months.

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  Japanese miso soup made with pork and vegetables.

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  Mass-produced raw ingredients for instant miso soup.

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  Cup from a brand of instant miso soup.

Wappani

Wappani (wappani (わっぱ煮^?)) is a miso soup based dish unique to Awashima island off the coast of Niigata, Japan. A cedar flask ("wappa") is filled with miso soup, fish and vegetables and it is heated by dropping in hot rocks, which quickly bring it to a simmer. Hot rocks retain their heat for hours after being taken from the fire, so a hot meal can be prepared without the use of fire.

Health benefits

Researchers at Japan's National Cancer Centre claim that miso soup cuts the risk of breast cancer.^[1]

Pure miso paste nutritional information: Although high in sodium (over 400% DV), one cup (275 g) of miso paste is an excellent source of dietary fiber (59%) and protein (64% DV), as well as a good source of minerals . Miso paste is also high in amino acids, the basic building blocks of protein. An excellent source of vitamin K and a decent source of riboflavin (38% DV), miso also provides small amounts of other vitamins. One major benefit of miso is its extremely high omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid content.

The nutritional benefits of miso are incomplete on their own. However, when low-sodium miso paste is used in combination with ingredients such as tofu, dashi, scallions, katsuobushi (a common ingredient in stock dashi), and other vegetables, miso soup can provide a complete meal.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ BBC News - June 2003 - Miso soup 'cuts breast cancer risk'

External links

• Varieties of Miso Soup and Miso Soup by Season from Ajinomoto, an influential Japanese food company.