Spring Miso Soba Noodle Soup
Use whatever veggies you’d like to top this rich, salty miso broth. The tender buckwheat noodles as the perfect compliment.
Spring Miso Soba Noodle Soup
The first installation of Demystified: Soy Bean Paste, we're diving into the world of soybean paste with a springtime soba noodle soup featuring miso. With the abundance of vibrant veggies from the farmers' market, I'm jazzing up the soup by stir-frying a medley of these fresh finds to layer in.
Miso, a cornerstone of Japanese cuisine, undergoes a meticulous fermentation process. It all begins with cooked soybeans blended with koji, a rice paste infused with Aspergillus oryzae. Over time, this blend matures, resulting in a diverse range of hues and consistencies. As a general rule, darker miso indicates a lengthier fermentation period and a lower rice content. The color spectrum ranges from white, yellow, red, and the elusive black miso.
In this recipe, we're opting for a red miso, known for its deeper hue and rich flavor profile. Perfect for enhancing soups, braises, or even as a glaze for grilled meats. The soup's foundation consists of this red miso and instant dashi stock, providing a robust umami taste and a beautiful color. Feel free to get creative with toppings—it's an ideal dish for using up whatever's in your fridge.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil
1 cup (8 oz) snap peas
1 cup (8 oz) Tokyo turnips, trimmed and halved
1 cup sliced Baby Bella mushrooms
2 cups (16 oz) pea shoots or spinach
1 package firm tofu, sliced into battons
9 oz dried soba noodles
12 cups (3 quarts) water
1/3 cup red miso paste
2 tablespoons instant dashi powder
1 teaspoon sugar
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt to taste
Special Equipment
Wok
Wok shovel
Dutch oven
Serves 3-4 people
Directions
Start by sautéing all of your vegetables in the wok. Simply heat the wok to medium high heat, add in approximately a tablespoon of oil, and cook each vegetable or protein separately. Between each round of cooking, make sure to add a little more oil to the wok. The spinach, pea shoots, and snap peas take about two minutes; Tokyo turnips, mushrooms, and tofu take about five minutes. What you’re aiming for is a nice char on all of your veggies. Set them aside once cooked.
In the Dutch oven, bring water up to a boil to cook the dried soba noodles. Add in a handful of Kosher salt. Cook the dried soba noodles for 6-8 minutes or until al dente. Drain the noodles and set aside.
In the same Dutch oven, bring 12 cups of water to a boil. Add in the red miso paste, instant dashi powder, sugar, and whisk together. Adjust the saltiness of the broth to your taste by adding in more salt to concentrate it or more water to dilute it. Allow the broth to cook for five minutes on medium high heat.
To plate the soup, add a few handfuls of cooked soba noodles to a large ramen bowl. Then, add in a few ladles of your miso broth. Top with your choice of veggies as well as any extras like pickled garlic or chili crisp. Enjoy!