Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional by Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner Read Free Book Online Page B

amount and increase it as needed to taste. Generally speaking, ¼ to ½ cup of miso is added to a quart of konbu or shiitake konbu stock.
    Variations for miso soup include sliced eggplant (simmer in dashi [stock] until tender), Nameko-Jiru (Dark Miso Soup with Nameko Mushrooms page 62), lotus root, even delicate asparagus. Please, no tomatoes, however—they are not a traditional ingredient and their flavor does not lend itself well to this use.

Konbu Stock
     

Konbu Dashi
     
    3 x 4-inch piece konbu
    1 quart water
     
    Soak the konbu in the water for 30 minutes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the konbu. (The konbu can be sliced and added to stir-fried veggies, etc.)

     
    Here are three basic stocks that can be used in a variety of soups and stews. The Konbu-Shiitake Stock below is a slightly richer broth.
     
    Yield: 1 quart

Konbu-Shiitake Stock
     

Konbu to Skiitake no Dashi
     
    3 x 4-inch piece konbu
    5 large or 10 small dried shiitake
    1 quart water
     
    Soak the shiitake and konbu in the water for at least 2 hours. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the shiitake and konbu; they can be used for other dishes.

Shiitake Stock
     

Shiitake no Dashi
     
    15 to 20 dried shiitake
    1 quart water
     
    Soak the shiitake in the water for several hours. The water will become a light to dark brown. There is no need to simmer; it can be used as is. Shiitake stock with shiitake soaking in it can be kept in the refrigerator ready to use for up to two weeks.

     
    Yield: 1 quart

“Instant” Konbu Dashi
     
    1¼ cups small konbu pieces
    ¾ cup tororo konbu (available in Japanese food stores)
    3 tablespoons evaporated cane juice or sugar
    1 to 2 tablespoons sea salt
     
    Combine all the ingredients in a blender until they are as powdered as your blender will make them. Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per quart of water.
     
    For suimono (clear soups) where elegance and presentation are important, I recommend placing a tablespoon or two in a stainless steel tea ball or muslin bag and simmering for 10 minutes in the water. Remove the tea ball or bag before using the stock. (The contents of the bag can be added to sautéed vegetables, rice, etc.) If, however, you do not mind tiny pieces of sea vegetables in your soup, simply add the mixture to water and simmer by itself or with other ingredients.

     
    The Japanese rarely prepare their own dashi anymore. Instead, like Westerners who cannot be bothered to make their own soup stock from scratch and prefer to reach for a bouillon cube, the,japanese buy powdered fish or konbu stock. Most of these are loaded with MSG and other additives. Here is a simple recipe for making a full-bodied semi-instant stock. This keeps for several months.
     
    Yield: 2 cups

Miso Soup with Daikon Radish and Tofu Pouches
     

Daikon to Abura-age no Miso Shiru
     
    1½ to 2 cups daikon, cut into 1-inch sticks
    1 quart Konbu Dashi (Konbu or Konbu-Shiitake Stock), page 54
    1 package abura-age (fried tofu pouches), page 21, usually 2 to 4 pieces, sliced ¼ inch thick
    tocup miso (a combination of light and dark misos is good for this particular soup)
    3 to 4 green onions, chopped or thinly sliced
     
    Simmer the daikon in the dashi (stock) until tender. Add the abura-age (fried tofu pouches) and simmer for another minute. Turn the heat off. In a small bowl, combine the miso with a little stock to make a paste. Add to the pot and mix or whisk well. Add the green onions and serve immediately.

     
    This is a warming combination for cold weather.
     
    Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Wakame and Tofu Miso Soup
     

Wakame to Tofu no Miso Shiru
     
    1 quart Konbu Dashi (Konbu or Konbu-Shiitake Stock), page 54
    Approximately 1 cup reconstituted wakame, roughly chopped
    8 to 12 ounces regular or silken tofu, cut intoto ½-inch cubes
    tocup light miso
    Bring the stock to a simmer. Add the wakame and tofu, and simmer for 2 to 3