Comfort Food in the Form of Soy
It seems like every time you hear about something healthy it often involves soy, but did you know you can also make comfort foods with soy? In honor of National Soy Foods Month, I thought I'd share one of my favorite comfort food recipes with you.
Not Your Traditional Miso Soup
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tsp Dashi Powder
- 2 Tbsp White Miso Paste
- 2 Tbsp Red Miso Paste
- *1/2 Block Extra Firm Tofu, Cubed (Bite Size)
- 1 Green Onion, Chopped
- 4 Cups Water
Instructions
- Bring the 4 cups water to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting. You don't want to boil the miso because that will dampen the flavor and kill the natural probiotics in miso.
- Add the dashi powder and stir in till evenly combined to make the dashi stock.
- Take out a small portion of dashi stock (about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup) and whisk in the 4 Tbsp of miso paste, 1 Tbsp at a time, then add into the full pot of dashi stock and stir till evenly incorporated. You can add more miso if it doesn't pack enough flavor for you, I just find that 4 Tbsp is enough for my husband's and my preference.
- Once all the miso is fully incorporated, add in the chunks of tofu. *I typically use 1/2 a block per 4 cups of miso, but you can add more or less depending on your tofu preference.
- Let sit for about 20 minutes on very low heat, stirring occasionally. This gives the tofu a chance to absorb some of the miso flavor and lets the broth develop a little more.
- Serve up into your favorite soup bowl or mug and top with chopped green onions.
Tips: We like to pair ours with sticky rice when we are eating this as just the meal, but you can pair it as a side with whatever meal you're making. You can also have it as a quick on the go savory breakfast option if you feel so inclined. My husband and I like to start our weekend mornings with a small mug of miso.
When it comes to purchasing the dashi and both kinds of miso paste, we're usually able to find them at Dong Phuong Market here in Amarillo. You can also find them on Amazon if Dong Phuong happens to be out, possibly Blue Sky Asian Market on the east side of the boulevard (though we've found that to be a little more hit and miss), or if you happen to be in Lubbock, Asian Food Market hasn't ever let us down for all three items. You can get your extra firm tofu just about anywhere. Market Street on Georgia, Natural Grocers, Drug Emporium, and any of the Walmarts (including Neighborhood Markets) usually have it in stock. Target and some of the smaller United stores are a little more hit and miss.
