Nameko and Tofu Misoshiru (なめこと豆腐の味噌汁, miso soup with nameko mushrooms and tofu)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Miso-koshi (miso strainer), or a ladle and chopsticks for dissolving miso
• •Lacquer soup bowls (wan), or small heatproof bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Steep the konbu

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. The pale powder on the surface is not dirt, it's flavor. Put the konbu in the cold water and warm it slowly over low heat until the water trembles and small bubbles climb the side of the pot, about ten minutes. Lift the konbu out before the water boils.

   You're steeping the kelp, not cooking it hard. Boil it and the dashi turns faintly bitter and a little slick, which is a poor trade for impatience.
2. 2

   Add bonito flakes

   Bring the water just to a gentle boil, add the katsuobushi all at once, then take the pot off the heat. Let the flakes sink on their own for two or three minutes. Don't stir. The quiet steeping gives the dashi its clean depth without clouding it.

3. 3

   Strain the dashi

   Strain the dashi through a cloth-lined fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot. Let it drip naturally and don't squeeze the flakes. Squeezing presses out stronger, oily flavors, and the clear stock you guarded at the stove becomes heavy for no good reason.

   If you want to be thrifty, save the spent konbu and flakes for a second stock or furikake. Don't ask them for more in this first dashi.
4. 4

   Prepare the nameko

   Look over the nameko and rinse them briefly only if they are gritty or packed with excess gel. Drain them well. Do not scrub them clean; their natural slippery coating is what gives this misoshiru its silken body. Cut the tofu into small cubes so it warms quickly and sits neatly in the bowl.

5. 5

   Warm mushrooms and tofu

   Return the dashi to a gentle simmer. Add the nameko and cook for about two minutes, until the broth looks slightly glossy and the mushrooms are tender. Slide in the tofu and warm it for another minute, stirring as little as possible so the cubes stay whole.

6. 6

   Dissolve the miso

   Turn off the heat. Put the miso in a miso-koshi, or hold it in a ladle and dissolve it with chopsticks into the hot dashi a little at a time. Taste before adding more. The soup should be savory and rounded, not salty enough to make the rice nervous.

   Miso goes in last because its fragrance is delicate. Once it is dissolved, keep the soup below a boil or that fragrance disappears and the flavor turns dull.
7. 7

   Serve at once

   Ladle the misoshiru into warm bowls, sharing the nameko and tofu evenly. Scatter a few scallion slices over each bowl and serve at once. Fill the bowls modestly; a soup surface with room around the garnish looks calmer and tastes that way too.

Chef Tips

• •Buy nameko when the caps are small, amber, and glistening fresh. The coating should look lively, not sour or tired. If the smell is sharp, choose another mushroom or cook a different soup.
• •Packed fresh nameko is a sensible stand-in for wild autumn nameko. Bottled nameko in brine will make a bowl, but rinse it well and expect a flatter aroma. The texture remains the reason to use it.
• •Use awase miso for a balanced everyday bowl. Aka miso gives a deeper, saltier soup, so start with less and taste. Miso varies more than people admit, which is why the spoon is wiser than the measuring chart.
• •For a meatless table, make shōjin dashi with konbu and dried shiitake soaked overnight, then strained. That is honmono in the temple-kitchen line, not a compromise.
• •Don't reach for instant powder when the dashi is doing this much work. Nameko and tofu are mild, so a flat stock has nowhere to hide.

Advance Preparation

• •The konbu can soak in the measured cold water overnight in the refrigerator. Start it cold the next day and lift it out before the water boils.
• •Finished dashi keeps two days refrigerated. Reheat it gently before adding the nameko, tofu, and miso.
• •Do not make the finished misoshiru far ahead. The miso aroma fades, the tofu toughens with repeated heating, and the nameko loses its clean texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)