Description
This Homemade Miso Soup with Tofu is a comforting and traditional Japanese soup featuring a flavorful dashi broth made from kombu and bonito flakes, enriched with soft silken tofu, wakame seaweed, and fresh green onions. Perfectly balanced with miso paste, this soup is quick to prepare and serves as a nutritious starter or light meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Broth Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 piece kombu (dried kelp), approx. â…“ oz (10 g), 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm)
- 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), loosely packed (about 3 cups for stronger flavor)
Soup Ingredients
- 7 oz soft/silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu), cut into cubes
- 4 Tbsp miso paste (about 1 Tbsp or 18 g per 1 cup of dashi)
- 1 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed
- 1 green onion/scallion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Gather all necessary ingredients including water, kombu, bonito flakes, tofu, miso paste, wakame, and green onion. Slice the green onion into thin rounds and cut the tofu into cubes.
- Make Dashi Broth: Place 4 cups of water and one piece of kombu in a saucepan. Slowly bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Just before boiling, remove the kombu to avoid bitterness. Add the bonito flakes, bring to a gentle simmer for a few minutes, then strain the broth to remove the flakes. The dashi can be prepared in advance and stored.
- Reheat Dashi: Pour the prepared dashi back into a pot and bring it to a slow boil over low heat.
- Add Miso Paste: Remove a small amount of dashi into a bowl and dissolve the miso paste thoroughly. Then return the miso mixture into the pot of dashi, stirring gently to combine without boiling to preserve the delicate flavor of miso.
- Add Tofu and Wakame: Gently add the cubed silken tofu and dried wakame seaweed to the pot. Allow the wakame to rehydrate and tofu to warm through for a few minutes.
- Finish with Green Onions: Stir in the sliced green onions just before serving to maintain their fresh flavor and slight crunch.
- Serve Immediately: Ladle the hot miso soup into bowls and serve immediately to enjoy the full depth of flavors.
Notes
- For a vegetarian or vegan option, omit bonito flakes and use kombu-only dashi or vegetable broth instead.
- Do not boil the soup after adding miso paste; high heat can spoil miso’s flavor and beneficial enzymes.
- Silken tofu is preferred for its smooth texture, but firmer tofu can be used for a different mouthfeel.
- Dried wakame expands significantly when soaked, so 1 tablespoon per 4 servings is sufficient.
- You can adjust the amount of miso to taste depending on desired saltiness and depth.
