Cookbook:Simple Restaurant Miso Soup

This miso soup is a close approximation of what you get in most cheap western Japanese restaurants. All ingredients are to taste; the primary thing is the ratio of miso to dashi.

Ingredients

 * 250 ml (1 cup) dashi
 * 5 pieces of wakame
 * A few 1 cm cubes of medium-firm tofu
 * 1 tablespoon (about 15 ml) miso paste (either white, red, or a mixture)

Procedure

 * 1) Heat the dashi to a light simmer.
 * 2) While this is heating, lay out your bowl and place the wakame and tofu in the bottom.
 * 3) When the dashi simmers, take a ladle or so of liquid aside and mix it with the miso paste.
 * 4) Remove the pot of dashi from the stove and stir in the miso mixture.
 * 5) Ladle the prepared soup into the bowl and serve.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * Some prefer less miso, some prefer more. The quantity given results in the moderately-salty type popular in restaurants before meals.
 * Do not permit the miso to boil; doing so alters the flavour.