Momoko sisters Chika and Kika are homesick for some Japanese food since arriving in California. Luckily, several Asian markets are nearby. They wanted to share how to make one of their favorite comfort foods--miso soup!
Ingredients:
Miso paste (found in the refrigerated section)
Tofu (firm)
green onions
wakame (dried seaweed, not nori, which are the seaweed sheets for making sushi)
water
Human-sized ingredients
Doll-sized ingredients
1. Boil 1 quart (1 litre) of water in a pot.
2. Take 2-3 generous dollops of miso paste using a tablespoon and place into boiling water. Stir the pot to help dissolve the paste.
3. Dice the tofu into small pieces and cut up the green onions.
4. Reduce the heat and toss in the green onions and tofu.
5. Finally, turn off the stove and toss in a handful of wakame. Wakame sort of looks like tea leaves, but will expand several times their size in hot water.
6. Enjoy the miso soup!
You can also use dashi/Japanese soup stock instead of plain boiling water.
In authentic Japanese inns, Miso soup is generally served at the end of a multi-course meal, not as an appetizer like in America.
In Maison Ikkoku, the hero tries to propose by saying "I want to eat your miso soup" (i.e. come cook for me)... as I recall he is totally misunderstood, and winds up getting miso soup.
Pouring miso soup on rice tastes nice but used to be looked down upon as a really low class thing to do.... (But they do go well together ... just keep them separate!)
People allergic to shellfish or iodine should not drink restaurant or commercial miso soup because of the seaweed content (someone I know learned this the hard way)!
I had one more but can't remember it....
