How to make instant miso soup better?

Instant miso soup is a great way to get your daily dose of vegetables. Simply chop up some of your favorite veggies and add them to the soup . Popular vegetables include mushrooms, green onions thinly sliced, spinach, tofu, bean curd, wakame seaweed, nori seaweed, onions, daikon radish, and carrots.

What is the ratio of red miso paste to water?

I usually do a ratio of 1 tablespoon of miso to 1 to 1½ cups water ." As for white kind of miso to use? Both Leone and Sullivan like sweet white miso for a mellow-tasting soup. "Many restaurants use red misos," Sullivan says, adding that yellows are more earthy.

Why does miso soup make my stomach feel better?

Improves digestion: Because miso is high in probiotics, it helps the body maintain healthy bacteria levels . This bacteria contributes to digestive health, reducing gas, diarrhea, bloating and constipation.

Does boiling water ruin miso?

The aromatic qualities of miso – as well as some of the nutritional benefits – are damaged when boiled . This is why miso is traditionally stirred in at the final stage of cooking, either over a gentle simmer or heat with turned off.

Can I just add miso paste to water?

*STIR MISO to preserve the beneficial bacteria – stir the miso paste into your cup of hot water instead of pouring boiling water over the miso as high heat can destroy the healthful bacteria ; this simple technique will help ensure you get maximum “nu*tritional bang for your bite.” MISO is fermented soybean paste.

What is the secret ingredient in miso paste?

The secret ingredient: Aspergillus oryzae , a grain-loving fungus that under the microscope looks like a delicate flower on stem. Fermented with soybeans, grain, and, salt, it becomes miso paste, a staple of Japanese cuisine.

What can I use instead of dashi in miso soup?

The base of any great miso soup is its liquid component. In lieu of dashi, a homemade vegetable broth can be used. Not only does this serve as a dashi substitute, but it also adds a layer of flavor complexity while keeping the dish plant-based and accessible to those on a vegetarian or vegan diet.

What should I add to my miso soup?

The greens and noodles make a wonderful meal. I like to add grated ginger, tofu, and veggies to miso. My Japanese friend taught me to mix red and white miso pastes for an authentic flavor.

How do you make miso soup less bland?

All you have to do is add cubed fresh tofu and chopped scallion , and it will be close to what you would get at a Japanese restaurant. You could also use stock instead of water but not salty stock because the miso paste is already very salty.

Miso Charred Carrot Soup Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Roast

by: Emma Laperruque

September17,2018

3.5

33 Ratings

Miso Charred Carrot Soup Recipe on Food52 (1)

Prep time 25 minutes
Cook time 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves about 9 cups

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

An easy-as-heck soup to keep on repeat all fall and winter. Roast root vegetables (in this case, carrots) with celery and onion. Then blend the charred results with water and lots of mellow white miso. That’s it. —Emma Laperruque

Test Kitchen Notes

This is one of our Big Little Recipes. Read more here: Creamy Carrot Soup in 4 Ingredients (Cream Isn't One of Them). —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Watch This Recipe

Miso Charred CarrotSoup

Ingredients

2 poundscarrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
1 poundcelery, chopped into 1-inch chunks
1 poundyellow onions, halved, peeled, and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 tablespoonscanola oil, divided
1 ¹/₂ teaspoonskosher salt, divided
¹/₄ cupmellow white miso, divided

Directions

Heat the oven to 425°F. Line two sheet trays with silicone mats or parchment.
Add the carrots to one tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss with your hands. Add the celery and onion to another tray. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Toss with your hands.
Stick both trays in the oven and roast for about 1 hour total. Every 20 minutes, rotate the trays and stir vegetables to encourage even cooking.
When the vegetables are done remove both trays from the oven. Add about half of each tray to a blender. Add 2 tablespoons miso and 4 1/2 cups water. Blend until completely smooth, then pour into a large pot on the stove. Repeat with the remaining vegetables, remaining 2 tablespoons miso, and another 4 1/2 cups water—blended until smooth, poured into the pot.
Season the soup with salt, if necessary. Thin with more water, if necessary, depending on how thick you like your soup. Warm over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it’s the temperature you like to eat your soup. Pour into a bowl and serve.

Tags:

Soup
Japanese
American
Carrot
Celery
Miso
Roast
Vegan
Vegetarian
Lunch
Dinner

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Alexandra Caffee
Chanel Wilkins
hmship
Ann DeLong
Kate

Recipe by: Emma Laperruque

emmalaperruque.com

Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

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26 Reviews

theletterc September 23, 2022

used my vitamix 'hot soup' mode and i had none of the texture problems others mentioned. used a little dash of rice wine vinegar and olive oil at the end to balance the flavor and it was absolutely perfect.

salena March 23, 2022

No one will guess that this soup has only 6 ingredients plus water. It's rich, very filling, and bursting with flavor. I made it for 2, so I cut all ingredients basically by 4. Used olive oil to mix the veggies on 1 sheet tray. Kept an eye on them and when they had a good char (c. 45 minutes) removed them from the oven and put them into a small soup pot. Added water and miso (Hikari white) and took my Breville immersion blender to it. Didn't take very long to get it to an even, thick soup. Attractive with the flecks of char. Highly recommend this recipe for its simplicity, deliciousness, and certainly for its low-calorie count. Reheats well.

Brennan H. December 4, 2021

Like others, I had trouble getting this to blend, even with a vitamix. The celery in particular was very fibrous. I might try parboiling the celery before roasting next time, to break down the fibres a bit. The soup did not need much salt if any at all. I did add a pinch of brown sugar for sweetness

cosmiccook October 2, 2022

Curious if you got your celery from Trader Joes? I find their brand particularly fibrous. I tend to peel mine to get some of the fiber removed. I've found there are different types of celery out there. I wonder if Celeriac or Celery root & fennel would achieve a similar end product?

Alexandra C. October 19, 2020

Love this recipe! Cheap and so flavorful - I will be making this all winter! I read all these comments before starting and I have to say that I think where people are going wrong is the oven time. Use your best judgement and char to your liking. I took mine out at 40 min when my carrots were beginning to char nicely on the sides. I also have a pretty powerful blender, but added my water sort of gradually to increase the friction needed to blend smoothly. The miso I used was low sodium and I think that made a difference, too. Also, it's *very good* the next day.

Chanel W. September 27, 2020

I enjoyed this soup but made a few changes. I subbed the celery with leeks, and used chicken stock along with water. Also added some heavy cream. I loved the miso and carrot combination - will be making this again!

hmship May 8, 2020

This is delicious. I just made a half recipe. The onions and celery were done after about 50 minutes but I cooked the carrots for a full hour. It's subtle but addictive.

Thea November 11, 2019

I think a step is missing. After a 10 minutes at 425, the oven should go down to 375 or the veggies char in 20 minutes.

Ann D. November 10, 2019

adjusting for salt at the end is tricky, also added a generous amount of pepper. Used only 8 cups of water. Will probably add sour cream to my soup even tho that makes it non-vegan.

Berk O. November 10, 2019

You can use vegan sour cream. Perfectly fine...