Healthy and Classic Miso Soup

Miso has been a staple in Chinese and Japanese diets dating back approximately 2,500 years. Miso has a wonderful sweet/salty flavor that can be used in a wide variety of recipes. The color can vary from light yellow, good to use in a sweet miso soup during warm weather, to a deep dark brown with earthy tones and hearty flavor, which can be cooked with cubed root vegetables, wakame sea vegetable and dark leafy greens during the colder months. When purchasing, avoid the pasteurized version and spend your money on the live enzyme-rich product, which is also loaded with beneficial microorganisms. When cooking use just enough to enhance flavor and avoid overpowering the dish with a strong salty taste.

Scientifically researched benefits of miso:

1. Contains all essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.
2. Stimulates the secretion of digestive fluids in the stomach.
3. Restores beneficial probiotics to the intestines.
4. Aids in the digestion and assimilation of other foods in the intestines.
5. Is a good vegetable-quality source of B vitamins (especially B12).
6. Strengthens the quality of blood and lymph fluid.
7. Reduces risk for breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers.
8. Protects against radiation due to dipilocolonic acid, an alkaloid that chelates heavy metals and discharges them from the body.
9. Strengthens the immune system and helps to lower LDL cholesterol.
10. Is high in antioxidants that protect against free radicals.

Miso is a very good source of manganese and copper as well as a good source of zinc (all three are important mineral antioxidants). It is also a very good source of the mineral phosphorus as well as a good source of protein and dietary fiber. In addition to these conventional nutrients, it is also an important source of phytonutrient antioxidants inclu0ding phenolic acids like ferulic, coumaric, syringic, vanillic, and kojic acid.

This delicious recipe was adapted from one created by Jill Gusman. We hope you try it!

Classic Miso Soup

January 9, 2016

by Kasia Kines

Category Recipes

Serving Size

Yields 4 Servings

Notes

A simplified recipe can be without mushrooms, ginger, onion or carrots. All you need is hot water, miso paste, chopped silken tofu and chopped green onion. Never boil miso. Whisk the paste into the soup bowl that is already filled with hot water. You can also have just 3 ingredients for an instant evening hot broth: water, miso, green onion. If you are sensitive to soy, soy-free miso pastes are available at health food stores.
* organic only please

Ingredients

• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 4-inch strip wakame seaweed, rinsed, soaked, drained, and finely sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, cut into matches
• 2 Tbsp white miso*
• ½ pound silken tofu*, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 3-inch piece fresh ginger or 1 Tbsp ginger juice
• ¼ cup chopped green onions, organic only

Instructions

1. Lightly rinse the mushrooms under warm water for 10 seconds. Soak them in 1 cup warm water until soft, for about 15 minutes. Drain, cut off the tough stems, and slice the mushrooms thinly.
2. Place the mushrooms, wakame, onion, and carrot in a soup pot with 7 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Place the miso in a small bowl and add ¼ cup of the broth from the vegetables. Using a fork, stir the miso and broth until the mixture is a smooth paste.
4. Grate the ginger on a fine grinder. Squeeze the ginger pulp in the palm of your hand to extract the juice (discard the pulp). Add the juice to the pot.
5. Add the tofu to the pot. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add miso when the soup is no longer cooking – to avoid killing the beneficial bacteria from the miso.
7. Serve garnished with the green onions.

https://kasiakines.com/healthy-classic-miso-soup/

Kasia Kines