Miso Soup Varieties
Source: Noriko's Kitchen
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Servings: 4

This soup is served every morning in Japan, with the flavors of seasonal vegetables. 
There are several different kinds of miso paste available in the United States.  
Shiro-miso paste is a mild one and is low in salt.  On the other hand, aka-miso is very
salty and has a different, stronger fragrance than shiro-miso.  
Miso soup base is made out of a fish stock called dashi.  You can purchase dashi at any
Oriental food shop.  You can enjoy almost any vegetable with this soup, from lettuce to
snow pea pods.  Here's a list of vegetables you might want to try in the miso soup.

Types of gu and preparation suggestions

Chinese cabbage, cut into bite-size squares or triangles
Cabbage, cut into bite-size squares or triangles
Lettuce, cut into bite-size squares or triangles
Green onions, sliced
Onions, sliced
Leeks, sliced or chopped
Okra, chopped
Butternut squash*, thinly sliced
Snow pea pods		
Green beans*
Daikon*, thinly sliced
Potatoes*, thinly sliced
Sweet potatoes*, thinly sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Bean sprouts
Tofu, cut into small cubes
Wakame seaweed
Natto beans, minced

* These hard vegetables must be cooked for ten minutes or so.
Not recommended: green pepper, celery (vegetables with strong flavor)

Here is a recipe that uses tofu, green onions, and mushrooms.

Ingredients:

about 30 half-inch cubes tofu
4 mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks green onions, chopped
4 cups water
2 teaspoons dashi (nomoto)
3-4 tablespoons miso (adjust to taste)

Directions:

Boil 4 cups of water and dashi.  Add tofu and mushrooms, simmer gently about 3
minutes.  Add miso and dissolve completely.  Immediately turn off the heat and add
chopped green onions, then serve.

Note: You have to cook the hard vegetables longer.  If you have a combination of soft
and hard vegetables, add the soft vegetables later.  The miso flavor will weaken if you
overcook the miso.

- recipe courtesy of Hiroyuki Sato (71461.2100@compuserve.com)