Loaded Miso Soup

Garnished with roasted tofu croutons and stuffed with roasted shiitake, tender kohlrabi and soba noodles, this miso soup is a hearty meal in a bowl.

On my Facebook page and my G+ page, I have been sharing links to food blogger recipes that catch my eye. While all of the recipes I've shared are ones I'd be delighted to eat, some are ones I actually want to make as well as eat. When I shared Easy Miso Soup by Christine of Cook The Story, I had visions of taking some shrimp from the freezer, rolling up a bunch of sushi, and serving the miso soup as a starter with a sushi meal.

Then reality hit, along with a polar vortex, and the idea of sushi wasn't half as appealing as the idea of a big bowl of soup. I veered away from quick and easy into the direction of turning a bowl of miso soup into a full meal. This is not vegan because I used fish sauce, but if you have a fish sauce substitute, this would be a vegan meal.

If you want an easy version of the classic miso soup, please check out Christine's recipe. If you want to pump {clap} it up, read on. I remembered my mom's BBQ tofu (a recipe I took really bad photos of so I've never shared it here) and used half of a container of tofu for that. I had a really fugly looking kohlrabi from the community supported agriculture (CSA) farm share and some soba noodles we never seem to eat and figured they'd go well with the broth. Then I spied some shiitake mushrooms with a magical markdown sticker, and I decided it was time to stop shopping and get into the kitchen.

There are a lot of balls in the air for this one, but the end result was slurped down by the whole family so I'd say it was a win. For other recipes using kohlrabi, please see my Kohlrabi Recipe Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index.

Ingredients for the roasted tofu

Ingredients for the roasted shiitake

Ingredients for the miso soup

Loaded Miso Soup 

1 package firm tofu

4 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons minced ginger

3-4 Tablespoons sesame seed blend

2 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms

1 quart vegetable broth

½ teaspoon fish sauce

1 kohlrabi, peeled and diced into small cubes (smaller than shown)

1 bundle soba noodles

2 sheets of nori

1 Tablespoon miso paste

2 green onions, some of the white and all of the green green parts chopped*

Make the roasted tofu. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the package of tofu into about 3/4 inch cubes. Place half in a bowl [and set it near the window to take a photo. Oh wait, that's just me. You can skip that part] and set aside until you're ready to serve. In a large bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon minced ginger. Gently toss the remaining tofu cubes with this marinade until thoroughly coated. Sprinkle 1 to 2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds over top of the tofu and spread on a rimmed baking sheet (I put parchment paper down on mine for easy clean up). Bake for 15 minutes, then stir, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until crispy and browned. Set aside the tofu but save the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Make the roasted shiitake mushrooms. In another large bowl [or the same one, I won't judge] combine another 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon vinegar. Toss cleaned mushrooms in this mixture, then spread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, then stir, and roast for another 10-15 minutes until the mushrooms have given up their juice. Set aside and sprinkle with 1 to 2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds. You can turn off the oven now.

Make the miso soup. In a 3 qt pot, combine vegetable broth and fish sauce. Add kohlrabi, cover and bring to a gentle boil. Uncover, add soba noodles, turn down the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. While the noodles are simmering, tear the nori into small pieces, cover with cool water for 2 minutes, then drain and set aside [this makes a really slimy seaweed which was the only thing that did NOT make a good leftover--I think maybe using my herb scissors to cut up a sheet as a garnish may also work]. When the kohlrabi and noodles are tender, scoop out a ladle of broth into a bowl and mix in the miso paste. Return the broth to the pot and stir, then give it a taste. If you'd like more miso flavor, repeat the ladle-mixing process. [By this point I'd realized that the miso I purchased had MSG in it, which my spouse is sensitive to, so I stopped at 1 Tablespoon]. YMMV.

Serve. Place some reserved tofu cubes and slimy seaweed rehydrated nori in a bowl. Ladle the miso soup with kohlrabi and soba noodles on top. Garnish with roasted tofu, shiitake, and green onions. Enjoy.

*Save your green onion bottoms to regrow alongside your celery:

This post is shared with What's Cookin' Wednesday