Miso Soup with Shimeji Mushrooms

My recent visit to Japan included a cooking class in a school just outside the Betsuin Shorenji Temple in Takayama. One of the dishes we learned to make was a delicious miso soup enriched with the addition of shimeji mushrooms. Don’t panic. Trade Joe’s sells brown beech mushrooms which are the same thing. What’s beautiful about shimeji is their delicate texture and mild, earthy flavor. One warning: Do not eat these mushrooms raw as they are hard to digest.

I enjoyed this soup so much that I volunteered to prepare it for our group’s kaiseki rehearsal dinner party. It was the pronounced umami flavor which piqued my interest.  While Americans are familiar with the other basic flavors—sweet, bitter, salty and sour—we’ve just started to talk about umami. Turns out, this is a flavor common in Japanese cuisine.

In Western cooking, umami can be found in aged foods such as parmesan or prosciutto but also sometimes in vegetables such as tomatoes or mushrooms. When used in terms of wine, umami is often used to describe a savory, brothy, or meaty taste. It’s a flavor component found in certain red wines made with ripe grapes and extended aging. 

Umami is the magic flavor carrier in the preparation of the dashi broth for this recipe. Once you’ve made this, the liquid can be turned into all sorts of other Japanese dishes. Not only is it the point of departure for miso soup but also for ramen, dressings and marinades.

Making this recipe for miso soup is child’s play. Feel free to deviate from this recipe by adding other vegetables which the Japanese do all the time. I added spinach to give the soup an additional boost of color.

Simple. Savory. And delicious. This miso soup recipe is a keeper.

Ingredients:

For the dashi broth:

1 oz. dashi kombu (dried kelp)

1 quart water

½ cup bonito fish flakes

For the miso soup:

½ cup shimeji (brown beech) mushrooms, cleaned and prepared into small pieces. (Shiitake mushrooms can be substituted.)

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1/3 cup firm tofu, diced into quarter inch squares

½ cup baby spinach (optional)

1/4 cup white miso paste

3 spring onions, trimmed and sliced thinly on the diagonal

Cooking instructions:

For the dashi:

1.     Wipe off any dirt from the kombu with a paper towel being careful not to rub off the white powdery deposits on the seaweed. Soak in one quart of water in a medium size saucepan for 30 minutes until kombu softens.

2.    Remove kombu to a cutting board and cut into smaller pieces. Return to the saucepan with water and bring to a boil.  As soon as it boils, remove from heat immediately to avoid broth becoming bitter.

3.    Stir in bonito flakes and return to a boil. Immediately remove from heat.  Allow dashi to cool. Then strain liquid using either a sieve lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter.  Set aside.

For the soup:

4.    Return liquid to a saucepan and bring it to a boil.

5.    Meanwhile, clean mushrooms by gently running under cool water right before cooking. Pat dry with a cloth or paper towel. Cut away the tough interconnected bottom portion of the mushroom bundle, then hand-separate clinging mushroom stalks.

6.    Add shimeji to the broth, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 4 minutes.

7.    Next, add tofu and spinach and cook for just one minute.

8.    Whisk together miso paste and soy sauce in a small bowl, adding a little of the hot broth to help turn it into a smooth paste. Then, add to the dashi stirring until fully integrated. Remove quickly from heat.

9.    Divide among soup bowls; garnish with sliced spring onions and serve immediately.

Serves: 4

Wine recommendations:  No wine, just a dry sake or a cold beer, preferably a Japanese brand.