RECIPESSEPTEMBER 24, 2011

basic miso soup

If you arelooking to do one thing to prepare for the all too fast arrival of cold and flu season, I would suggest having this recipe in your arsenal. Miso, ginger, kombu, and shitake mushrooms are rich in anti-oxidants and supercharged immunity boosters. If you keep all of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry (I recommend you do!) miso soup is easy to whip up as soon as you begin to feel under the weather.

This miso soup has a light, delicate taste that is soothing and easy to digest; it is also the perfect remedy for any tummy troubles. The miso and ginger are particularly beneficial to ease any digestive discomfort.

Look for the ingredients in the Japanese section of your grocery store. Making the ginger, kombu, and shitake broth ahead of time lend a richness in flavor and immunity boosting benefits, but if you are in a pinch, you can skip this step and just use water.

Healing Miso Soup with Shitakes

Ingredients:

4 cups of filtered water
1- 3 inch piece of ginger, sliced
1 small piece of kombu seaweed
1-2 dried shitake mushrooms (optional)
1/3 cup mellow white miso
2-3 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup shitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced

Optional: grated carrots, diced tofu, baby spinach

Procedure:

Heat water with ginger, kombu, and dried mushrooms (if using) in a small pot. Let simmer for 10-20 minutes. Place miso in a medium bowl. Add ½ cup of hot stock to miso, and whisk until smooth. Stir miso into pot, being careful not to boil liquid. Add mushrooms and scallions; simmer 1-2 additional minutes. Serve.