Vegan Miso Soup

1. Gather all the ingredients.

To Make the Kombu Dashi

1. Put 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) in 4 cups water and let it steep for 20 minutes, or as long as you can (maximum overnight).
2. Transfer the kombu and water to a pot. Bring it to near boiling point on medium heat. If you didn’t steep for a long time at Step 1, it’s good to slowly bring the kombu water to near boiling on low heat. Once the bubbles start to appear and it looks like almost boiling, remove the kombu and turn off the heat. If you leave the kombu in the water, the kombu dashi can become bitter. So, it’s usually recommended to take it out. Use this used kombu to make Simmered Kombu or Homemade Furikake (Rice Seasoning).

To Prepare the Add-ins and Garnish

1. Rehydrate 1 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed in water for 5 minutes. Squeeze the water out and divide the wakame among the individual miso soup bowls.
2. Cut 2 green onions/scallions into small pieces (diagonally—optional) and set aside in a small bowl.
3. Set the miso soup bowls and green onion aside for now.

To Add the Miso

1. A typical Japanese miso soup bowl holds about 200 ml of liquid. Miso varies in saltiness depends on types and brands; but as a general rule, we add 1 tablespoon (20 g) of miso per one miso soup bowl (200 ml dashi). I use a miso muddler (one side measures 1 Tbsp, the other side 2 Tbsp). For this recipe, I use roughly 5 Tbsp miso. Tip: When you add the tofu, you may want to add an extra tablespoon (that’s why I add 5 Tbsp total) because tofu contains additional moisture which dilutes the miso soup.
2. When you add the miso, turn off the heat (NEVER let miso soup boil). Scoop some dashi/soup into your ladle and let the miso dissolve in the ladle first using chopsticks or a whisk. Tip: Do not directly drop miso into the soup because you may end up with undissolved chunks of miso left in the soup. It’s very important to taste to check the saltiness.

To Add the Tofu

1. Cut 7 oz soft/silken tofu (kinugoshi dofu) into small cubes and add to the miso soup. (Please use a cutting board if you are not used to cutting it on your palm).
2. Reheat until hot (but not boiling) and serve. Tip: After adding miso, never let miso soup boil because it will lose aroma and flavor and also kill the probiotics in the miso.