Miso Soup

One must first have dashi (出汁 or ダシ) which is a type of soup stock.

Dashi

• 4 cups of water
• dried kombu 昆布, 1 sheet
• 1 cup bonito flakes 鰹節 (かつおぶし）

Cut the kombu sheet in two and cut slits into the two pieces. Put in 4 cups of cold water in a sauce pan and slowly bring to near boil over 10 minutes. Skim foam or debris off the surface with a strainer. Remove the kombu and discard (though it is possible to use it in 2nd dashi).

Put the bonito flakes in the stock and bring to boil, then cook at reduced heat for 30 seconds, then let it sit on no heat until the bonito flakes sink, about 10 minutes. Pour through a strainer to remove the bonito flakes (which can be kept for 2nd dashi).

If not using the dashi immediately, put in a jar and keep in the fridge for at most 5 days.

Miso Soup

• 2 cups dashi
• dried wakame ワカメ or 若布 (how much? measure)
• 2 tbsp miso 味噌
• tofu 豆腐 (とうふ) 8oz
• green onions ねぎ (how much?)

Hydrate the wakame in a bowl of hot water for about 2 minutes.

Put the dashi in the sauce pan and bring to a boil. Dice the tofu into cubes and thinly slice the green onions and put them into the dashi with the wakame. Cook at a near boil for 3 minutes. Take 3 tbsp of the dashi and dissolve the miso in it in a small bowl, then add back to the soup and it's done.