Conference turris::cooks

The following recipe for Miso soup has been taken from Madhur Jaffrey's 
Far eastern Cookbook.  


1 scallion 
1/4 lb bean curd
1 quart Japanese soup stock or light unsalted Chicken stock (homemade or
canned)
4 Tbl aka miso (the reddish brown one)


Cut the entire scallion (including the green part) into very thin rounds.
Cut the bean curd into 1/2 inch cubes.  Heat the stock in a pan until it is 
hot,  but not boiling.  TAke it off the heat.  Lower a small sieve into it 
so that only its lower half is submerged into the liquid.  Put the miso 
into the sieve and push as much of it through as possible.  Discard any 
lumps which may be left in the sieve.  Put the soup stock back on a medium
heat and add the bean curd and scallion.  Bring the soup to a simmer.  When
the first bubbles appear,  remove it from the heat and serve.  Serves 4.

Enjoy.

    This is a variation of what I learned when I took a Japanese cooking
    class many years ago.  It has been modified some to fit my own tastes
    and local availability of ingredients.  The Miso soup I have had in
    restaurants has much less "stuff" in it than what I make for myself.

    stock:      the class called for making a fish stock.  It had a name which
                unfortunately escapes me.  If you really care, I could look it
                up at home tonight.  What I currently use is a powdered version
                which I buy at the Joyce Chen store in Merrimack/Bedford -
                right behind the Midori Restaurant.  I use about 2 quarts
    tufu:       I buy the firm tufu in the supermarket and cut it into approx.
                1/4 inch cubes.  Since I don't use tufu for any other dish, I
                use the whole package for the soup.
    seaweed:    This comes dried.  It looks tiny when it is dry, but it really
                expands when cooked.  So, when I remember, I crumble it to
                make it easier to eat.  Again, I buy this at Joyce Chen.  I
                use handful.
    miso paste: As I remember from the class, it is usual to use the light
                colored paste in the warm months, and the dark colored paste 
                in the winter months.  I think the darker it is, the 
                "heartier" it is.  I use 1/4 cup.
    scallions:  cut in slices so that they look like circles.

    Once in a while I will through in some pea pods, but that is hardly
    authentic - I just like the taste.

    Heat the stock to boiling.  While that is coming to the boil, slice the
    scallions, and dissolve the miso paste in some cold water.  The paste
    should be pretty thin once it is dissolved.  When the stock is boiling,
    throw in the scallions, tufu and the seaweed.  Then slowly stir in the 
    paste and remove the pan from the heat.  

re -1

>the class called for making a fish stock.  It had a name which unfortunately 
>escapes me.

Could it be Dashi?  My miso soup recipe uses Dashi (which you can replace with
chicken stock).  It is available in an instant powder form called dashi-no-moto.
You use about 1/3 teaspoon to a cup/8 fluid ozs. water.  If you can't get dashi
powder, below is a recipe for home-made dashi.

Ingredients:	2 inch piece of kombu (dried kelp)
		1 cup water
		1 teaspoon katsuobushi (dried tuna fish flakes)

1. Place water and kelp in a saucepan and bring to boil.

2. Remove from the heat and drain, discarding the kelp.

3. Add the tuna fish flakes and bring to boil for 1 minute.

4. Remove from the heat and set aside until the flakes settle.

5. Strain and discard the flakes, and you have DASHI!

regards,

joyce

    You can make Miso soup without using chicken stock or Dashi-no-moto for
    the soup base. In fact my uncle makes a great clam miso soup by boiling
    the smaller clams in water and then just adding the miso. 
    One of my favorite ways to make miso soup is to boil onions and
    potatoes until the potatoes are tender and then add miso to the 
    mixture.
    I guess what I'm trying to say is that Miso soup doesn't have to just
    be made with Tofu, seaweed and onions. Sometimes it's fun to experiment
    with other additives and come up with a great Miso soup!!!
    
    Debby

Several years, ago, after trying miso soup for the first time, I decided to try
making it at home.  After reading about the dashi recipe, I opted to use the 
instant, instead, since I wanted to do small quantities.  So, I picked up a box 
of instant dashi.  Of course, I chose the BIG box, because it was the best price
per pound.  It wasn't until I got it home that I found all the directions to be 
in Japanese.  After some investigation, I found the recipe to be 1/3 tsp to 1 cup
water.  I've made a LOT of miso soup since then, and I still have enough instant
Dashi to turn the great lakes into fish stock...

						-jp

    Thanks for the response!  We made a batch last night.  It was great!
    
    Keith R>