Miso soup
味噌汁
The everyday bowl: dashi, dissolved miso, tofu and spring onion — breakfast, not a starter you ignore.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 味噌汁.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Miso soup is how a lot of Japanese tables start the day. You do not boil the miso. You make a light dashi, take it off the hard boil, and whisk the paste in so it stays alive. Tofu and wakame are usual; the bowl should taste of the sea and fermented soy, not salt water.
Ingredients
- Dashi800 ml
- Miso44 ml
- Tofu, soft or medium, cubed200 g
- Spring onion, thinly sliced2
- Katsuobushi, if you are making dashi from scratch (optional)5 g
- Dashima, kombu, for homemade dashi (optional)5 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Heat dashi until steaming, not a rolling boil. If making it: soak kombu in the water, heat slowly, lift the kombu before it boils, then steep katsuobushi 30 seconds and strain.
8 minStep 2
Add tofu to warm through. Ladle a little broth into the miso and mash smooth, then stir that back into the pot off the heat.
2 minTip: Boiling miso flattens it. This is the one rule.
Step 3
Spring onion. Serve immediately. It does not improve sitting.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Dashi → Water plus a pinch of kombu if you have it
Vegetarian bowls skip the flakes. Instant dashi is still dashi.
Tips
- A pinch of dried wakame, soaked, is the other usual addition.
- White miso is gentler at breakfast; red miso wants dinner.
History & culture
Home miso is regional — white and sweet in the west, redder and saltier in the east. One small bowl beside rice is a meal structure, not an appetiser.
Miso and dashi are older than restaurants. Instant dashi granules are how many apartments actually cook. We will not pretend otherwise.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: Tail furry via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uchimame-no-misoshiru%2C%20Miso%20soup%2C%20Japan.jpg
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Miso soup take?
15 min all in — 5 min prep, 10 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Very easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Soy, Fish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Miso — 3 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.
How much miso?
3 tbsp of Miso.
What can I use instead?
Dashi → Water plus a pinch of kombu if you have it. Vegetarian bowls skip the flakes. Instant dashi is still dashi.
Any tips from this recipe?
A pinch of dried wakame, soaked, is the other usual addition. White miso is gentler at breakfast; red miso wants dinner.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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