During the winter, chickpea miso soup is my comfort food. It’s my Asian style version of chicken soup with its light, yellow, salty broth. Because miso is fermented, it delivers beneficial bacteria and enzymes, which aids in digestion, strengthens immunity and increases vitamins – B12, B2, K and E, amongst other benefits like cancer prevention. I never seem to drink enough fluids in the colder months so miso is one of my primary hydration allies when I have a bowl for lunch and before dinner.
The traditional Japanese way to make miso is to simmer wakame seaweed before dissolving the miso paste and then adding little cubes of tofu and scallions. Margaret (or better known as Marge in my blogs) introduced me to a non-traditional, but equally delicious method, of adding a variety of raw vegetables into the miso broth. Chinese medicine dietary advice counsels against eating too many raw foods, especially in the winter, because it can generate dampness in the body; however, adding grated ginger and red chili pepper sauce balances the raw vegetables perfectly. I use a mandoline called benriner cook help slicer to make spiraling thin slices of root vegetables, which resemble transparent rice noodles.
For the last year, I have been making my own chickpea miso, which is made by fermenting a mixture of garbanzo beans, salt and koji with a fungus Asperigillus oryzae. It’s simple to make and I will share the details in a future post, but you can also buy unpasteurized miso at all health food stores.
Miso Soup Recipe
Heat water to near the point of boiling but not quite because boiling water will kill the bacteria and enzymes in miso. Put a ½ cup or so of water into a bowl, add two tablespoons of miso, and using the bottom of a tablespoon, dissolve the paste into the water. Add grated ginger.
Add thinly sliced vegetables of your choice. My selections include: cabbage, radish, sprouts, peppers, celery, shredded turnips, dried tomatoes and mushrooms.
For a hot and sour miso soup, I add sauerkraut and 1 tsp. of red chili pepper sauce.
Depending on the saltiness of your miso, add salt or soy sauce.