Miso Soup
Quick answer
- Total time
- 15 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 5
About this dish
Miso soup, or miso shiru, is a staple of Japanese home cooking, traditionally served alongside daily meals.
Read more
The soup features a base of dashi stock made from bonito flakes and kelp, which provides a savory umami foundation. Standard additions include cubed silken tofu and rehydrated wakame seaweed, finished with thinly sliced green onions. The preparation requires heating the dashi stock gently without letting it boil rapidly, then warming the tofu. To preserve the delicate aroma of the miso paste, it is dissolved in a ladle with a bit of hot broth before being stirred into the pot, and the heat is turned off immediately. Home cooks can choose between mild, slightly sweet white miso or a more savory, salty red miso to adjust the flavor. It is a light and comforting soup designed to complement other dishes.
Ingredients
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Soak 5g dried wakame in cold water for 5 minutes.
When it swells to about 5 to 6 times its size, rinse lightly, squeeze out excess water firmly, and cut it into bite-size pieces.
- 2Prep
Cut 150g silken tofu into 1.5cm cubes and slice 2 green onion stalks thinly.
Press the knife straight down instead of dragging it through the tofu, so the cubes stay neat and do not crumble.
- 3Control
Pour 500ml dashi stock into a pot and heat it over medium heat.
When small bubbles appear around the edge, reduce to low heat so the stock stays hot without boiling hard.
- 4Control
Add the tofu and avoid stirring with a spoon.
Gently shake the pot to settle the cubes, then warm over low heat for about 2 minutes until the tofu is heated through.
- 5Step
Place 2 tbsp miso in a ladle and loosen it first with a little hot broth.
When no lumps remain, stir it back into the pot gently just once to keep the soup clear.
- 6Finish
After adding the miso, turn off the heat and add the soaked wakame.
Ladle the soup into bowls, top with sliced green onion, and serve immediately while the miso aroma is still fresh.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Squeeze excess water from the soaked wakame so it does not dilute the broth
- Finish cue
- After adding the miso, turn off the heat and add the soaked wakame.
- Avoid this
- Turn off the heat after adding the miso and do not boil the soup again.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
15min, 5 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 310 recipes
Use-up ingredient planner
Turn these ingredients into two more meals
The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.
Uchimame-jiru (Flattened Soybean Miso Soup)
Dashi stock, Silken tofu
Natto Jiru Ground Natto Miso Soup
Dashi stock, Silken tofu
Korean Braised Tofu with Shrimp
Silken tofu, Green onion