Eat your veggies

Japanese meals often include miso soup.  Sometimes it is basic - onion, tofu, seaweed, dashi (fish broth), and miso paste.  Other times it can get fancy with different types of miso (red or white), or adding whatever kind of vegetable you desire.  Miso soup tends to be simple.  Made with love, it always tastes delicious.

I've never really been one to make miso soup.  Chicken noodle, garden vegetable, beef with barley are all more up my alley.  But when I cook Japanese food, I want to make the classic.  I tried several recipes when I first started cooking here, but since then I've started to wing it. 

4 cups of water.  4 teaspoons dashi powder.  2 tablespoons of miso paste.  Whatever veggies you have on hand - onion, carrot, bell pepper, daikon, mushrooms, potato, whatever!  A variety is always best but just make sure to keep it to a couple choices.  Seaweed is a popular addition, but isn't required. 

My only rule is that I try not to be mundane.  Try new ingredients, see what my family likes.  And, always, just use what is in the fridge (except tofu, which I buy specifically for the soup whenever I think it will really benefit it).

Tonight's soup didn't even have miso in it!  I tossed together onion, gobo (burdock root), eggplant, red bell pepper, and some greens.  Sparked by a suggestion made by my husband, the broth was made with dashi and, instead of miso, Japanese sausages.  The soup was welcomed with rave reviews.

Having soup with dinner always seems to round out the meal for me.  Especially since I love to make sure my family gets a variety of veggies, soup is an easy way to make sure they are.