Natto Miso Soup with Okra

1. Gather all the ingredients.

To Make the Dashi

1. To a medium saucepan, add 2 cups water and 1 dashi packet.
2. Start cooking over medium heat and bring it to a boil. While waiting, you can prepare the other ingredients (go to the next step). Once boiling, shake the bag a few times to release more flavor into the soup. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Then, discard the packet. Your dashi is now ready to use.

To Make the Miso Soup

1. Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients. Cut off the stem ends from 2 okra. Then, cut the okra crosswise into thin slices.
2. Empty 1 pack natto (fermented soybean) onto your cutting board. Run your knife through the natto to chop the soybeans into small pieces.
3. To the simmering dashi, add the okra and natto to the saucepan.
4. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
5. Turn off the heat. In a ladle, stir 2 Tbsp miso into some hot stock using cooking chopsticks to completely dissolve, then release it to the soup. Alternatively, you can use a fine-mesh miso strainer and/or a miso muddler to dissolve it faster. Next, taste the soup and add more miso if needed. If it‘s too salty, add water or dashi (if you have any) to dilute. To serve, pour the miso soup into individual bowls. Optionally, sprinkle (ground) sesame seeds for the aroma and texture.

To Store

1. I highly recommend consuming the miso soup immediately because it will lose its aroma and flavor over time. If you happen to have some leftovers, cool the soup to room temperature (no longer than 4 hours), store in an airtight container, and keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or 2 weeks in the freezer. When ready to use, reheat in a pot over medium heat, but do not boil.