Recipes › Mizuna › Mizuna Miso Soup with Silken Tofu
Mizuna Miso Soup with Silken Tofu
A deeply comforting bowl that is on the table in under twenty minutes and somehow feels both restorative and elegant. Clouds of silken tofu bob in a clean dashi-based broth, with a generous tangle of mizuna stirred in at the last second so the leaves stay bright and just barely wilted. The mizuna's peppery edge sharpens the sweet, umami depth of the white miso beautifully.
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Ingredients
- 160 g Mizuna, washed, stems and leaves separated, stems cut into 3cm lengths
- 400 g silken tofu, cut into 2cm cubes
- 1200 ml cold water
- 10 g dried kombu, wiped with a damp clothuse 1 tsp vegan dashi powder dissolved in 1.2 litres of hot water if you cannot find kombu
- 4 tbsp white miso pastecheck it is gluten-free if required — most white miso is, but not all
- 1 tbsp soy sauceuse tamari to keep the dish gluten-free
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
Contains: cereals gluten, sesame, soya.
Method
- Place the kombu in a medium saucepan with the cold water. Set over medium heat and bring slowly to just below a simmer — you want small bubbles forming around the kombu but not a rolling boil, which makes the broth bitter. This takes about 8 minutes.About 8 min
- Remove the kombu with tongs and discard it. Add the soy sauce and the mizuna stems to the broth. Simmer gently for 1 minute.About 1 min
- Ladle a small amount of the hot broth into a bowl and whisk the miso paste into it until completely smooth with no lumps. Pour this back into the pan — never add miso paste directly to boiling liquid, as high heat destroys the delicate flavour and beneficial cultures.About 1 min
- Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Gently lower the tofu cubes into the broth and leave for 1 minute to warm through — do not stir aggressively or the tofu will break apart.About 1 min
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the mizuna leaves, spring onions and sesame oil. Stir gently once — the residual heat will wilt the leaves in about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.About 1 min
- Ladle into warmed bowls. Scatter over chilli flakes if using and serve immediately.
Tips
- Never boil miso soup after the paste has been added — it kills the flavour instantly. Keep it at a gentle, barely-there simmer.
- Separate the mizuna stems from the leaves because they have different cooking times. The stems go in with the broth; the leaves are added at the very end.
- This is a light broth-style soup. If you want it more substantial, add 100g of cooked soba noodles per bowl.
Ring the changes
- Add 6 dried shiitake mushrooms to the water with the kombu for a deeper, more savoury broth — remove and slice them before serving.
- Use red or brown miso instead of white for a bolder, more robust flavour, though the soup will be darker and less delicate.
Keeping it
This soup is best made fresh. The broth without the miso keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do not store the finished soup as the mizuna continues to wilt and the tofu deteriorates — take 10 minutes and make it fresh.
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