We went to Hawaii last year and the hotel we stayed in included a breakfast buffet. While most people lined up for the omelet bar and pastries, I squealed like a little kid when I saw they included traditional Japanese breakfast items. Really, I squealed. The sticky rice and cubed tofu left me giddy every morning. They had a great looking miso, but not knowing what the base was made of I had to skip it. Over the holidays, my family was here and I was telling them about my yummy vaca breakfast, my dad really liked that kind of breakfast too so I had to get cooking.
My kids love miso too! They were chanting yesterday as they waited for me to serve their soup. ” Mee-so, mee-so, mee-so hungry!”
and yes, the entire pot of soup is already gone. Looks like I will be making more for them today.
now for a few words on miso: from whole foods
there are several varieties of miso from white to brown
the lighter the miso, the mellower the flavor
light misos are recommended for soup
great source of B12 for vegans and vegetarians
may reduce breast cancer risk
often recommended as part of a healing diet
high in sodium, but you don’t need much for flavor
never boil miso!
Ingredients:
5 cups water
3 spring onions sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup shiitake mushroom- thinly sliced ( reconstituted if dried)
1 cup bok choy, torn or cut into ribbons
1 tbs toasted sesame oil ( vegetable oil will work as well)
1 tbs soy sauce
8-14 ounces medium tofu as 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup miso
3/4 cup water – to dissolve miso
Method:
in a large saucepan, combine water, onion, mushrooms, bok choy, oil and soy sauce. allow to simmer 10-15 minutes or until bok choy is tender. add cubed tofu and simmer another 5 minutes. in a small bowl, combine miso and 3/4 cup water and stir until dissolved.
remove pan from heat and gradually add miso, stirring gently to combine.