v:gourmet

This is from my dear friend Emily McInnes who just started Eye Buy Art – a new online art gallery representing young photographers from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Check it out. It’s fabulous!! (Not only do you learn about food here but have a platform to buy awesome art. Make beauty necessary. Make necessity beautiful.) Anyhow, she loves miso soup and, having experienced it myself, it’s great. Here’s what she has to say about making miso soup de jour:

– boil water (add crushed ginger if you feel like it – oftentimes I’m too lazy)

– add cubed tofu, dark fresh greens, Asian greens, carrot, corn niblets, mushrooms (dried or otherwise) – whatever your heart desires

– OPTIONAL: add vermicelli (thin rice noodles) or any kind of noodle if you want (i.e. dried ramen)

– once the above has been steamed slightly – add in a good dollop of miso, a good 2 hearty scoops for a soup that serves 2
(if your soup is lacking in flavour then it could be that you just didn’t add enough, or the miso you bought is a boring variety?)

– fix this by adding a sweep of tamari or soy-like sauce (I like Bragg’s)

– if you’re feeling experimental you can add a little dash of rice wine vinegar

– cook until miso is dissolved (NB: I read that you shouldn’t let your soup, with miso added, come to a boil. Keep it just under a boil.)

And then:

– add fresh chopped onion on top

– fresh cilantro or parsley is nice

– sprouts (the ones in the photo are from Kind Organics who were at the Brickworks Farmers’ Market on Saturday)

– shredded seaweed (yum!)

– shake some gomashio (sesame seeds – I like black ones) on top

– drizzle a tiny TINY amount of sesame oil on top (optional – it’s strong)

VOILA!

Make up your own soup. I think I’ve never made the same one twice!