Miso-shiru is a fixed element of most meals in Japan. It's an easy, healthy, and tasty soup, which is full of umami. There are endless options to make variations with different vegetables, meat slices, fish and shellfish. This is the basic version. What you need is:
1 onion
1 carrot
2 liters of water
1 pack of House Premium Tofu Soft
2 sachets (10 gr) of Shimaya Dashi no moto
4-6 large spoons of Hanamaruki Okasan Miso
(you can also replace the last two items with Marukome Cup Ryotei Miso, as it already contains dashi)
Start by peeling the onion and cutting it in strips:
Place them in a suitable pot (ours is 24 cm), peel and half the carrot, slice it and add the bits in the pot:
Add water and bring it to boil. When it's boiling, add dashi:
Let the dish simmer with no lid on for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. While it's cooking, prepare the tofu by dicing it - first cut the block in two across like this:
Then slice it in both directions from above:
Add the tofu in the soup a few minutes before the vegetables are tender.
Turn off the heat and place the miso in a small sift or a deep cooking spoon. Using a sift is easier. Carefully mix the miso and the soup water, but keep the small shells out of it. It's possible using a deep spoon, but as mentioned easier using a sift:
When all the miso has dissolved in the soup, check the taste, and if it's not rich enough, add more miso according to taste. Pour in suitable bowls and serve:
