Miso Squash Soup Recipes

MISO-BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Cook shallot, garlic, and ginger, stirring often, until shallot is softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add miso and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add squash, salt, maple syrup (if using), and 4 cups water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover pot. Cook until squash is very tender, 20-25 minutes.
• Carefully purée squash and cooking liquid with an immersion blender until smooth. (Alternatively, you can carefully use a standard blender and work in 2 batches, keeping a towel over the lid and transferring to a medium bowl as you go.) Do ahead: Purée can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill.
• Bring squash purée to a simmer over medium heat (return to same pot if you puréed in a standard blender). Stir in lemon juice; taste and season with more salt if needed.
• Divide soup among bowls and top with cilantro, chili crisp, and peanuts. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

MISO-TAHINI SQUASH SOUP WITH BROWN RICE

Steps:

• Mix rice, 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, a pinch of salt, and 5 cups water in a medium heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until rice is al dente, about 25 minutes. Drain; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbsp. coconut oil in a large pot over medium. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and just starting to brown, about 1 minute. Add broth, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release garlic mixture, and bring to a simmer. Add squash and simmer 8 minutes. Add kale and cook, stirring, until vegetables are cooked through, 3-5 minutes.
• Whisk miso, tahini, sesame oil, and 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup hot water and whisk until very smooth. When vegetables are cooked through, remove pot from heat and gently stir in tahini mixture (overheating tahini will cause it to separate). Season to taste, then immediately divide among bowls with brown rice. Top with scallions, sesame seeds, nori, and chili oil.
• Do Ahead
• Soup can be made 2 days ahead; chill in a resealable container. Reheat gently over low to avoid tahini from separating.

MISO SOUP WITH SUMMER SQUASH, TOFU AND WAKAME

Steps:

• Soak the wakame in 2 cups water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• To make the dashi, combine the kombu and filtered water in a medium saucepan and soak at room temperature for at least 2 hours and up to 10 hours. After soaking, heat the saucepan with the water and soaked kombu over low heat. Continue to heat until bubbles begin to form around the kombu, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the kombu before the water comes to a boil. Save the kombu for future use.
• Bring the soaking water to a boil and then turn off the heat. Add the bonito flakes. Let stand for 2 minutes without stirring to steep the bonito flakes. Strain the dashi through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer lined with a thin kitchen towel, two layers of cheesecloth or paper towels. Do not press the bonito flakes while straining as it will cloud the dashi. You should have 3 1/2 to 4 cups of dashi. Use the finished dashi immediately, or cool completely and refrigerate up to 1 week.
• Return the dashi to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the squash, adjust the heat to maintain a low simmer and continue cooking until the squash reaches the desired tenderness, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wakame. If the dashi evaporates below 3 cups (710 milliliters), replenish with filtered water or additional dashi to bring it back up to 3 1/2 cups (840 milliliters). Carefully add the tofu and continue simmering just until heated through, about 1 minute.
• Meanwhile, place the miso in a small bowl. Ladle in about 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) of the hot dashi and stir until a loose paste is formed. Turn the heat off under the saucepan, add the miso mixture to the soup and mix well. Taste the soup and make adjustments as needed with additional miso or dashi. Divide the soup among bowls, making sure the ingredients are distributed evenly and attractively. Add a dash of shichimi togarashi for heat and garnish with the chives if desired and serve.