La zuppa di miso is a typical dish of the Japanese food tradition and one of the main dishes offered by macrobiotic cuisine, born in Japan. Miso soup always includes 3 types of vegetables among its ingredients: leafy vegetables (such as cabbage or cabbage), round vegetables (such as onions) and tubers or roots (such as carrots or turnips). In this way, a balanced and energy-rich dish is obtained.
The main ingredient to flavor this dish, from which the soup itself takes its name, is miso. It is a condiment often used for the preparation of broth. It is the natural equivalent, and much more nutritious, of the industrial cooking nut commonly used in the West. Miso is obtained from fermented soybeans thanks to the action of a microscopic fungus.
The preparation of miso involves the addition of cereals such as barley or rice. Miso is already very tasty, therefore, no more salt needs to be added to the soup. Plan to use 1 teaspoon of miso per person for the broth. You can buy miso in organic food shops or in ethnic and macrobiotic food outlets.
Miso soup ingredients can vary with the seasons. The addition of the tofu enriches it with proteins. Miso can also be used to flavor grain cereal dishes or be spread on bread as a sauce (its taste and smell are vaguely reminiscent of black olives). Miso strengthens the immune system and adjusts the intestinal functions. For this reason, miso soup in Japan is not considered a simple food, but a real curative remedy, especially in case of colds and flu. There tofu miso soup heats and is particularly suitable in autumn and winter.
Here's how to make tofu miso soup for four people.
Read also: Macrobiotic cuisine: Miso
Ingredients for 4 people:
100 grams of tofu
4 teaspoons of chopped fresh parsley
4 teaspoons of miso
2 carrots
2 cabbage leaves
1 liter of water
1 shallot and 1 clove of garlic
1 celery
1 piece of kombu or wakame seaweed
1 tablespoon of extra virgin or sesame oil
½ leek
½ onion
Preparation
Start preparing the miso soup by boiling a liter of water in a pot with a lid, adding a small piece of kombu or wakame seaweed. Meanwhile wash, clean and sliced ​​into cubes, or chopped, all vegetables necessary for the preparation, including the shallot and a small sesame stalk without the leaves.
Skip the vegetables in the pan with a spoonful of extra virgin or sesame oil for 3 or 4 minutes.
When the water has boiled, take four ladles, pour them into a glass bowl and melt the miso, mixing with a teaspoon or a fork. Then pour it all back into the pot, adding the vegetables as well, but not the tofu and parsley.
The miso soup will cook for 20 minutes. If you can, cook with a lid so the broth doesn't evaporate too much. 5 minutes from the completion of cooking, pour the tofu cut into cubes and mix. When the tofu miso soup is ready, divide it on plates into four portions and pour over each a teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley. Bon appetit!
