Miso Veggie Soup
The benefits of miso are amazing. A little background first. Miso originated from China 1000s fo years ago. Japan was the first to introduce this paste made from fermented salt, grains, and soybeans. One of the benefits of miso at the time was to preserve food during the warmer seasons. Miso paste was and is still used today as a soup - or daily meal - healthy and super easy to turn into a sauce or soup and that’s why it became a stable eaten in the military, during wars, and a great meal to prep when you’re in a time crunch. FYI, it’s fridge shelf life is forever - you heard me right - it does not go bad! My threshold is a year - lol.
Miso’s health benefits are quite astonishing besides tasty. It supports gut health as it creates good bacteria because of the fermentation that produces microorginisms better known as prebiotic, probiotics and digestive enzymes.
It’s very important to understand that the foods we eat have specific cooking methods to keep their nutritious integrity. Adding miso to boiling water will kill the probiotics. That is exactly why in this recipe you will add the miso after the boiling and simmering of the water and veggies. Miso in general is the last ingredient to add to a hot dish. Therefore, wait until the soup is off the heat element and stir in the miso. The miso will melt into the soup and give the soup flavor and color.
Another important fact about miso - as there are many varieties: the dark miso is more salty which can be healthy for some but too salty for others especially if you have high blood pressure and retain a lot of salt. The lighter miso’s are less salty and more mild tasting.
Mise En Place
Recipe:
1 stem of broccoli florets - part of the broccoli head
6 white mushrooms sliced in quarters or 1 cup of sliced shiitake mushrooms
3 baby bok choy sliced lengthwise or 1 cup spinach
2 green onion - a.k.a. scallions sliced in inch-long diagonal pieces
1 clove chopped garlic
1/2 inch grated ginger
1/2 sheet nori seaweed, cut using a kitchen scissor into thin slivers
1 tsp of herbamare or herbal salt or dulse flakes (seaweed condiment)
3 tbsp miso past1 tsp Bragg’s amino acid
optional veggies: zucchini sliced, a dozen asparagus - these are veggies that are great for spring and summer seasonal soups
- optional - soba 4. oz soba noodles - make in advance and add to soup
- in a medium saucepan or pot bring 4 cups of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer
- place the veggies of your choice from ingredient list or add on options to the pot and allow the veggies to simmer for 4-5 minutes just until tender
- add the tamari or Bragg’s amino acid, spinach, herbamare or herb salt or dulse to the pot
- in the meantime in a small bowl stir 3 tbsp of water and 3 tbsp miso paste until blended, and pour into the soup mix
-gently stir the whole soup and serve right away
Genia’s Spoon Me Tips:
I highly recommend you purchase a dark and light miso and keep in your fridge. It makes a great sauce and you can add to any of your soups. Remember - miso is a great digestive aid and adds a nice taste.
As the saying goes in Japan when you love so much - ‘daisuki’,
Genia