Miso Soup

Miso soup is one of my favourite soups. It's inexpensive, easy to prepare and very tasty - unless you're one of those people who hate the taste of dashi. XD
I'll show you how to prepare miso soup in a few easy steps.

What you need:

* miso paste (red or white, it doesn't matter)
* dashi
* silk tofu
* wakame
* water

In case you're not familiar with the ingredients, I shall give a short explanation.

* Miso: Miso is a paste of fermented soy beans which has a salty taste and is used for soups or other dishes. There are different kinds of miso pastes which variate a little in taste. I used red miso paste for my soup.
* Dashi: Dashi is a kind of fish stock which is used for soups and sauces. You can find it in a lot of japanese dishes, providing the "typical" japanese taste.
* Silk Tofu: This kind of tofu is very soft and perfect for soups. You should not buy firm tofu or it will ruin your soup, believe me!
* Wakame: Wakame is dried seaweed which looks a little like dried tealeaves.

Now, on to the recipe!

Pour 1L of water in a pot and add the dashi powder. Heat it until it boils, then add 1 1/2 tbsp of wakame. (Don't let your eyes fool you when you think that it's not enough, because the tiny dried pieces will grow a lot once in contact with water!)
Cut the tofu into cubes.
In a small bowl, blend 3 tbsp of miso paste with a little bit of boiling water and stir well until it has dissolved completely. Reduce heat, then add the miso and the tofu.

The water shouldn't boil anymore when you add the miso and tofu. In case you think it doesn't taste strong enough, add more miso.
Enjoy!

There are actually many ways of doing miso soup with different ingredients, such as small sea shells, green onions etc. I've tried so many different miso soups while being in Japan, so really, it's up to you what you use. :)

~Vail~