Connie’s notes
If you’re not very familiar with the ingredients for miso soup, I have prepared a visual guide which, hopefully, will make this recipe sound less mysterious and elevate it into one that is very much doable.
Above, the photo on the left shows the rehydrated shiitake (which I had already cut into quarters), the thawed mushroom balls (which I had also quartered), the shimeji with the root ends cut off and discarded, and the wakame soaking in warm water.
Mushroom balls are available in most Asian groceries. They are sold frozen alongside other ingredients that go into a hot pot.
Wakame is a seaweed that is sold dried. It needs to soak in warm water to rehydrate then cut into small pieces.
That’s a tablespoon of dashi granules in the photo on the right. While it is easy to make dashi by simmering shaved katsuobushi (smoked and fermented skipjack tuna) and kombu (edible kelp), if you’re new to Japanese ingredients, dashi granules should make things more convenient. They are sold in packets, and the a packet contains about a tablespoonful of granules — just enough to make a liter of broth.
Miso is a seasoning made with fermented soy beans. It comes in a variety of colors, from white to brown, and the flavor ranges from mild to strong. For making miso soup, we used brown miso paste for years until we discovered that the milder white miso is better for making soup.
You will find miso paste in Asian groceries. It is sold in tubs and vacuum-sealed bags. Miso needs to be refrigerated once the tub or bag is opened. You will need only a heaping tablespoon of miso to make a pot of soup. To use, add a few tablespoons of simmering broth to the thick paste, stir to dissolve and add to the soup in the pot.
Mushroom miso soup cooks fast. So, have everything ready before you begin. If using dried shiitake, make sure they had been sufficiently rehydrated. Fresh mushroom should have been cleaned and trimmed. The wakame should have also been soaked, squeezed and cut into small pieces.
Above, the photo on the left shows the rehydrated shiitake (which I had already cut into quarters), the thawed mushroom balls (which I had also quartered), the shimeji with the root ends cut off and discarded, and the wakame soaking in warm water.
Mushroom balls are available in most Asian groceries. They are sold frozen alongside other ingredients that go into a hot pot.
Wakame is a seaweed that is sold dried. It needs to soak in warm water to rehydrate then cut into small pieces.
That’s a tablespoon of dashi granules in the photo on the right. While it is easy to make dashi by simmering shaved katsuobushi (smoked and fermented skipjack tuna) and kombu (edible kelp), if you’re new to Japanese ingredients, dashi granules should make things more convenient. They are sold in packets, and the a packet contains about a tablespoonful of granules — just enough to make a liter of broth.
Miso is a seasoning made with fermented soy beans. It comes in a variety of colors, from white to brown, and the flavor ranges from mild to strong. For making miso soup, we used brown miso paste for years until we discovered that the milder white miso is better for making soup.
You will find miso paste in Asian groceries. It is sold in tubs and vacuum-sealed bags. Miso needs to be refrigerated once the tub or bag is opened. You will need only a heaping tablespoon of miso to make a pot of soup. To use, add a few tablespoons of simmering broth to the thick paste, stir to dissolve and add to the soup in the pot.
Mushroom miso soup cooks fast. So, have everything ready before you begin. If using dried shiitake, make sure they had been sufficiently rehydrated. Fresh mushroom should have been cleaned and trimmed. The wakame should have also been soaked, squeezed and cut into small pieces.Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dashi granules
- 5 to 6 shiitake (soaked to rehydrate if using dried) quartered
- 5 to 6 mushroom balls thawed and quartered
- 150 grams fresh shimeji (⅓ pound) root ends cut off and discarded
- 1 heaping tablespoon miso paste
- salt to taste
- 2 to 3 tablespoons dried wakame soaked in warm water, squeezed and sliced
- 2 to 3 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
Instructions
- Pour a liter of water into a pot and bring to the boil (you may also add the mushroom soaking water if you’re using dried shiitake).
- Stir in the dashi granules.
- Drop in the mushroom balls and shiitake, and allow to boil for two to three minutes.
- Take a few tablespoonfuls of the hot broth and stir into the miso paste to thin it until pourable.
- Add the shimeji to the pot and allow the soup to come to a hard boil.
- Turn off the heat, pour in the diluted miso and stir.
- Taste and add salt, if needed.
- Add the wakame and scallions, stir and serve.
Mussel soup with ginger scallion broth
