Miso soup with tofu and greens

Ingredients

0 of 12 out on the counter

• 1 piece kombu (3 inch, about 5 g dried), taken out after the soak, counted whole
• 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• 2 tsp dried wakame (about 1½ g dry, 10 g once soaked)
• 6 oz silken tofu, cut in ½-inch cubes
• 1 cup chopped kale, stems removed
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Put the kombu, shiitake and water in a pot. Let them soak 20 minutes, then heat on medium until little bubbles climb the sides, about 150 °F. Do not let it boil. Lift out the kombu and throw it away.
2. 2While that heats, drop the wakame into a small bowl of warm water for 5 minutes, then drain it. Lift the shiitake out of the pot, slice it thin and put it back.
3. 3Put the rice in two bowls. Stir the ginger into the pot, add the kale and simmer on low for 3 minutes, until the kale is tender and bright green.
4. 4Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Ladle about ½ cup of hot broth into a small bowl and whisk the miso into it until smooth, then stir it back into the pot. Add the tofu and wakame and warm for 2 minutes. Do not boil: boiling dulls the miso and makes it bitter.
5. 5Ladle the soup over the rice. Top with the scallion, sesame seeds and a few drops of the sesame oil per bowl (1 tsp in all). Eat it hot.
6. 6Leftover soup keeps 1 day in the fridge, cooled within 2 hours of cooking. Reheat to 165 °F, stirring, and keep it under a boil. Cook the rice ahead and the whole bowl takes ten minutes.