Red and White Miso Soup (Awase Miso Shiru)
Hiroko Sugiyama, owner of Hiroko Sugiyama Culinary Atelier in Seattle, varies the amounts and types of miso she uses in her soup according to the seasons. Not everyone uses a combination of red and white misos, but Hiroko says it makes it more interesting. In the dead of winter, Hiroko likes a thick, sweet, predominantly white miso soup, while in summer she uses more red miso. Her winter recipe is 1 tablespoon of a rich, strong, dark red miso called haccho miso, and 10 tablespoons of saikyo, a special white miso. The proportion she gives in this recipe is suitable for year-round consumption. If you cannot find haccho or saikyo miso, explore different misos to find ones you like (see page 10). It takes time but it’s worth the effort, she says.
Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 4 to 6 first-course servings
Ingredients:
- Two 4½- by 2½-inch pieces deep-fried thin tofu (usu age or abura age) (see Pat’s Notes)
- Boiling water
- ¼ cup red haccho miso
- 1½ teaspoons white saikyo miso
- 4 cups dashi (recipe on page 40) (preferably a mix of 3¼ cups Dashi I and ¾ cup Dashi II), divided
- 14-ounce package firm tofu, drained and cut into ½-inch cubes (2½ cups) (Hiroko uses momen tofu; see page 25)
- Chopped green onions for garnish
Instructions:
- Dip the fried tofu in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then rinse with cold running water. Press it between paper towels to soak up the oil. Cut into thin strips and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the red and white miso with 1 cup dashi using a wooden spoon, squishing the miso against the side of the bowl until smooth.
- Heat the remaining dashi in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Strain the miso mixture into the saucepan and stir to mix well.
- Add the deep-fried tofu and firm tofu. Cook until heated through, 5 to 6 minutes. Do not let the soup boil; reduce the heat if it starts to boil.
- Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with chopped green onions.
Enjoy this comforting Red and White Miso Soup with its balanced flavors of red and white miso!
Variations: Add just about any ingredient of your choice to this soup—vegetables, fish, clams, or meat. Just cut into slivers or julienne pieces, cook in the dashi until tender, then add the miso and proceed as above.
Pat’s Notes: Hiroko’s preferred ratio of miso to dashi is 1 tablespoon miso to ¾ cup dashi. Adjust the proportions to suit your taste.
Usu age and abura age are different types of fried tofu and are widely available in Asian markets, either in cans or in cellophane packages.
Grandma Says: Don’t allow the soup to boil once you add the miso. The miso will lose its aroma at high heat.