Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup, prepared mainly from miso and dashi (fish and seaweed stock). The rich taste, easy recipe, short preparation time and health benefits of the soup has made it popular not only in Japan, but other countries of the world as well. Traditionally, miso soup is had with breakfast. However, in the Western countries, people prefer to have it during lunch or dinner. Koreans also make a soup quite similar to the miso soup of Japan, but it has a slightly different taste. In this article, we have provided information on how to make miso soup, along with the health benefits of the soup.
How to Make Miso Soup
Ingredients
- 400 ml (13½ fl oz) Dashi [or 400 ml (13½ fl oz) water and ½ tsp (2.5 ml) Powdered Dashi]
- 7 gm (¼ oz) Dried Seaweed (Wakame)
- 1½ tbsp (20 ml) Miso Paste
- 120 g (4¼ oz) Fresh Soft Tofu (or Long Life Silken Tofu)
- 2 medium Spring Onions, for garnish
Method
- Take a large saucepan or pot and pour dashi into it. Place the pan/pot over high flame, to let the stock heat.
- Soak wakame by putting it in a small bowl and adding enough water to cover it. This will make the seaweed expand.
- Put miso into a cup and pour a bit of hot dashi on it. This will melt the miso.
- Now, blend miso and dashi well, mixing till the time miso gets completely dissolved.
- Pour miso-dashi mixture into the dashi-pan and stir well. Keep it on a high flame only.
- Take the tofu and cut it into pieces, usually 1 cm squares.
- Add the tofu pieces to the dashi-pan and reduce the flame to low.
- Next, add wakame to the pan. Stir a little and turn off the heat. Never ever let wakame boil in the soup, otherwise its taste might get distorted.
- Put the soup in bowls and garnish with spring onions.
Health Benefits of Miso Soup
Researches have found that having 3-4 servings of Miso soup every day reduces the risk of breast cancer in women. This is because the soup contains Isoflavones, which are believed to block the cancer-causing effects of oestrogen and thus, prevent breast cancer. However, till date, there has been no conclusive evidence for proving the same. Miso soup has also been said to provide the following health benefits:
- Miso soup is rich with antioxidants, protective fatty acids and Vitamin E. It also has protein, Vitamin B12 and some important of minerals. Thus, it is said to be great for strengthening the immune system.
- Wakame (seaweed) put in miso soup has been found to be good for lowering blood pressure and reducing cholesterol.
- The combination of wakame and miso is believed to be good for fighting against nicotine-related disorders.
