Miso Soup Benefits

Miso is a Japanese product made from fermented soybeans, wheat, rice or barley. It is commonly used as a flavoring agent for soups, sauces or pickling applications in Japanese culture. When making miso, soy is commonly used with other items added into the mixture. Yeast is then added to begin the fermentation process, creating a buttery textured paste. Miso is an essential ingredient for the classic and delicious Japanese recipe miso soup.

Miso Soup Nutrition

Miso contains several essential vitamins and minerals, as well as poly and monounsaturated fats. It also has a high level of protein, dietary fiber, carbohydrates, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. You can consume as much as 7.78gm of carbohydrates, 3.36gm of fat, 6.02gm of protein, 1.9gm dietary fiber, 998mg sodium and 367mg potassium from one serving of miso. The soup is also high in manganese, zinc, iron, calcium, copper and vitamin C. Because miso soup is high in sodium it should be consumed in moderation.

Miso Soup Benefits

The nutrition in miso soup is the key to the overall health benefit of consuming this dish.

Miso Soup Recipes

Miso has a sweet and salty flavor that is ideal for a wide variety of recipes. The color of this ingredient may vary from light yellow to brown. Lighter varieties are sweeter and ideal for applications in warm weather while dark miso has a heartier flavor that is better suited to combinations with dark, leafy greens, cubed root vegetables or wakame sea vegetables consumed during colder months. You should add just enough miso to a recipe to increase the overall flavor of your dish without making it too salty.

1. Japanese Miso Soup

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Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. If you are not preparing dashi stock from scratch, combine 1 ¼ teaspoons dashi powder or a dashi packet to 3 cups of water to create the stock in a medium saucepan.
  2. Bring the stock to a boil and then allow the dashi to simmer for 5 minutes before straining the stock.
  3. Dissolve the miso into the stock, adding as much or as little as you desire based on your flavor preference.
  4. Add the wakame and tofu. Note that the tofu may dilute the flavor of the miso so it may be necessary to increase the amount within the soup.
  5. Do not allow the soup to return to a boil as this can reduce the flavor.
  6. Serve the soup warm, garnishing with sliced green onion.

The following video provides additional instruction for preparing this recipe:

2. Miso Soup with Noodles

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Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Cook the soba noodles according to package instructions in salted water.
  2. Drain the noodles and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process.
  3. Shake off the excess water. Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water to a simmer before removing from the heat.
  4. Pour some water in a bowl to dissolve the miso pate so it thins and will not clump.
  5. Stir this into the pot of water and adjust the amount of miso to suit your taste.
  6. Add the tofu and remove the water from the heat, allowing the soup to sit for around one minute.
  7. Place the noodles in 2-3 bowls and pour the miso broth on top.
  8. Add green onion, watercress, spinach, red pepper flake and cilantro to each serving as desired and consume.

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