Healing Vegetable Miso Soup

Name: Healing Miso Vegetable Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 3 cups filtered or spring water or vegetable stock; 2 strips wakame sea vegetable or pinch of wakame flakes; 1 cup thinly sliced vegetables (e.g., celery, shiitake mushrooms, daikon, squash, greens); 1-2 tablespoons unpasteurized miso paste; 1 scallion, sliced into very thin rounds

Start your day or any meal off right with a cup of delicious vegetable miso soup! Light and easy to digest, this soup is especially soothing to the stomach and helps reset your digestion.

From Japanese traditions to modern healing diet

Vegetable miso soup, a Japanese tradition, is an integral part of a healing diet and can be made with all-American ingredients. My family loves to make this soup for breakfast, as it is light and easy to digest, soothing to the stomach, and chock full of minerals.

Healing benefits of vegetable miso soup

Vegetable miso soup is a great start to any meal, as it stimulates digestion and prepares the stomach to receive food. Miso soup, which contains wakame seaweed, is long known to be good for air travelers because it is alkalizing, hydrating, good for regularity, and mitigates the negative effects of radiation you are exposed to at high altitudes.

The good news is that miso soup can be made simply in just 5-10 minutes, after a little bit of practice. Make your soup fresh each time, as it loses its vitality if it sits for a day or longer.

Five components to healing miso soup

There are just 5 components of this quick and healthy miso soup:

Water or vegetable stock
Wakame sea vegetable
Sliced vegetables
Unpasteurized miso
Garnish

Each time you make the soup, it can be a little different depending on which vegetables you use, what type of miso you use, and what you use to garnish the soup.

What is wakame?

Wakame is the most common sea vegetable used in miso soup. Although sea vegetables are often associated with Asian diets, there are a number of great sea vegetable companies on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States.

Even though sea vegetables like wakame are often considered Asian in origin, sea vegetables (or edible seaweed) was an important part of the diet of Native Americans (on both coasts) and they also used for enriching soil for agriculture. Now we are rediscovering sea vegetables, and they are even referred to as superfoods, because they are such a good source of minerals, boost the immunity, and help the body to detox from radiation and heavy metals.

I usually buy Atlantic wakame (or Alaria) from Ironbound Island Seaweed (also locally available at Wheatsville Coop) where sea vegetables are hand harvested and sun-dried. Maine Coast Sea Vegetables and Maine Seaweed are also wonderful companies specializing in sustainably harvested seaweed.

All about miso

Miso is a high-protein seasoning that offers a nutritious balance of natural carbohydrates, essential oils, minerals, vitamins, and protein, containing all of the essential amino acids. It is usually made with soybeans, cultured rice or barley, and salt.

I look for miso that is traditionally made, as it is the highest in quality. It should be unpasteurized and produced with organic, non-gmo soybeans (or some other kind of bean), organic rice or barley koji, and sea salt. No alcohol or other preservatives.

My favorite brands that I can buy locally (or order online if I want a special variety) are South River Miso from Conway, Massachusetts and Miso Master made in Asheville, North Carolina.

There are many delicious miso varieties to choose from when making miso soup. Some of the ones that I prefer to use in the hot Texas climate are chickpea miso, sweet white or yellow miso, or a combination of red miso and a lighter colored miso (stir together half and half).

Watch how miso is made at New England’s South River Miso Company. They produce traditionally made, superior quality misos at their Massachusetts facility. Check out their web site for additional information and videos.

Dissolve miso before adding to soup

Before adding miso paste to your soup, dissolve it in a small cup with some warm water or soup broth. Whisk it until it is a smooth mixture, then add it into the soup at the point the vegetables are done cooking.

Choose seasonal vegetables for your soup

Any vegetables of your choice can be used in miso soup. I like to slice them thinly so that my soup will cook quickly. Some of my favorites include: shiitake mushrooms, celery, daikon radish, sweet potato, carrot, and baby bok choy.

I usually put anywhere between 1-3 vegetables in my miso soup each time. Including a garnish for miso soup is essential for having a fresh touch to an otherwise cooked soup. I like to use thinly sliced scallions, grated daikon radish, or fresh parsley to garnish miso soup for color, texture, and flavor.

Healing Miso Vegetable Soup

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Author: Rachel Zierzow
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Category: Soup
Cuisine: Japanese, Macrobiotic

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Ingredients

Scale

3 cups filtered or spring water or vegetable stock
2 strips wakame sea vegetable or pinch of wakame flakes
1 cup thinly sliced vegetables (e.g., celery, shiitake mushrooms, daikon, squash, greens)
1–2 tablespoons unpasteurized miso paste
1 scallion, sliced into very thin rounds

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Instructions

Heat water or stock in small saucepan.
Add wakame strips or flakes. Wakame flakes will instantly rehydrate. Wakame strips take a little longer. If using wakame strips, remove them from the pot and slice into small squares that are bite-sized and return to the soup pot.
Add vegetables and simmer for a minute or two. If vegetables are sliced very thinly, this will only take about one minute.
Whisk together miso and a little of the hot soup broth in a small cup or bowl until smooth. Add miso to soup pot, stir, and turn off the heat. Miso will appear to “bloom” in the pot, which is a sign it is ready to serve.
Ladle a cup or so of the soup into a small soup bowl or cup.
Sprinkle gently with scallion slices for garnish. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Some delicious vegetable combinations include: celery and carrot or daikon, shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy, or sweet potato or winter squash and baby bok choy.
Miso varieties can include any light or dark misos. In warmer weather you may prefer a lighter miso such as chickpea, sweet brown rice, yellow, or sweet white miso. In colder weather you may want a stronger, saltier miso such as 3-year barley, chickpea and barley, red, or hatcho (the darkest variety).
Other garnishes can include: grated daikon radish, pan-toasted mochi cubes, fresh parsley, or other fresh herbs.