Miso Soup

There is a fabled miso paste that Sergey and I once found at a little stoneware teakettle shop that also sold miso paste. A store attendant stood outside with samples of the most incredible miso soup I'd ever tasted. It was 2018, and we bought three bags to take home with us. We dreamed of the day we could return and buy it again. Sadly, it seems this shop no longer exists, and we forlornly dream of the best miso paste we have ever had.

In the meantime, we console ourselves with merely standard miso paste.

Miso for two

Ingredients:

• 800 ml/4 cups Water
• 2 ½ tbsp red-white Miso paste
• 1 package of mushrooms (we are fond of Golden/brown enoki mushrooms or Buna-shimeji)
• Chicken breastmeat (optional)
• 1/2 bunch of garlic chives (有機ニラ)

Directions:

1. Prep
   a. Trim the base of the mushrooms and gently separate them.
   b. Wash and slice the chives.
   c. Cut chicken into small pieces (1-2 cm) for quick cooking.
2. Boil water in a pot.
3. (optional) Add chicken, simmer for 4-6 minutes until fully cooked. Skim any scum off the top.
4. Add mushrooms. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat (or turn to below-simmer) and dissolve the miso through a scoop-mesh strainer into the water. If you have a lovely tool called a miso-muddler, it will make your life so much easier.
6. Add garlic chives. Pour and serve!

Adapted from justonecookbook.com & AI suggestions.

Original base: 1 bowl = 200 ml water, 1 tbsp miso

Modified base: 1 bowl = 200ml water, ¾ tbsp miso