Vegan Miso Mushroom Soup Recipe
This is my first recipe post. I have a fascination with funghi and I try to eat mushrooms daily. The vegan dashi base in this soup provides a rich umami flavor that gives a delicious depth to this comfort food. The fermented foods in this recipe contribute to a healthy gut microbiome, supporting a strong immune system. This week I shared the soup I made with my mom and sister and they want the recipe. So I’m posting this before I publish my mushroom post (stay tuned!) so I can share the recipe with them.
Everything is an experimental work-in-progress. I appreciate your readership and being a part of the slant2plants community.
Supplies you need for this recipe and where to get them.
Consider where you can purchase miso paste and two different types of seaweed—kombu (kelp) and wakame (seaweed). I can buy these at my local Whole Foods and there is also an amazing grocery store in Berkeley called Berkeley Bowl that usually has anything you need for a recipe (call first). Depending on the ethnic make-up of where you live, some big supermarket chains have a decent supply of Japanese foods, including tofu, miso paste and seaweed. You definitely need those items to make this recipe so make sure you’re prepared! I’ll talk about where to buy mushrooms in my upcoming Mushroom post! Read my Mushroom Mania post to discover more delicious ideas and health benefits of mushrooms!
Miso Mushroom Soup
Equipment
- 1 pot large
- knives
- cutting board
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- mixing bowl
- 1 strainer
Ingredients
- 12 cups water
- 2 pieces kombu seaweed
- 1/2 cup dried shitake mushrooms
- 10 T. miso paste I use Miso Master Organic
- 1 container soft tofu cut into small cubes
- 2 cups mushrooms
- 2 T. dried wakame seaweed chopped
- 2 green scallions
Instructions
- Mise En Place: Assemble all ingredients.
- Make vegan dashi broth: Ideally, steep kombu pieces in water for several hours before starting recipe. Add dried mushrooms to water and kombu. Heat to just below boiling* and then simmer for at least 20 minutes. Broth will be a rich brown, green hue. Remove kombu and mushrooms from pot (strain if necessary).
- Add miso paste: Before adding miso paste to pot, add several T. hot broth and dilute miso paste so it will dissolve easily into broth.
- Add 1-2 cups chopped fresh mushooms of your favorite variety.
- Add the tofu that has been cut into small cubes.
- Reheat soup but be careful not to boil.
- Next add the chopped wakame seaweed. Even though the pieces are small, they hydrate and swell in the water. It is not easy to eat a piece of this chewy seaweed that's not bite-sized.
- Finally, ladle the soup into bowls and top with freshly sliced scallions.