Japanese Miso Soup w-Daikon Radish and Tofu

This Miso soup is prepared with white miso, a pungent paste made from soya beans and yellow in colour. (There are also a saltier version, which is reddish-brown).

Traditionally, miso soups use dashi, a stock made from kelp and dried fish flakes. Both miso and dashi are available in Asian markets.

Recipe for Japanese Miso Soup w/Daikon Radish and Tofu

Ingredients:

• 1 litre dashi (homemade or instant)
• 1 daikon radish – trimmed, washed and julienned or cut into matchsticks (optional)
• 225 g soft tofu, diced
• 2 tbsp white miso paste
• 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

Method:

1. Reserve roughly 120 ml dashi and pour the rest into a pot.
2. Bring to the boil, add radish. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. Reduce heat, add tofu. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
4. In a bowl, beat miso with reserved dashi until smooth, then stir into soup.
5. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until soup is thoroughly combined, then stir in most of the spring onions.
6. Ladle soup and daikon radish into bowls and garnish with remaining spring onions.
7. Serve hot.