Today is a guest recipe from fermented food expert My Fermented Foods! They’re sharing their tips for making miso soup; a traditional soup from Japan that is usually served with rice or eaten standalone for breakfast. Miso soup is made with miso paste – a fermented soybean curd and a stock called dashi.
Homemade Miso is considered to be one of the best fermented foods for your gut; so it provides plenty of good bacteria to our guts. It’s also rich in vitamins like folic acid and other B vitamins.
You can buy ready-made miso soups but making your own guarantees good quality ingredients and all the health benefits. You can make completely from scratch with your own gluten-free dashi or it’s easy to buy ready-made dashi and miso paste from health food shops (I’ve also found this in Waitrose!)
Before making the gluten-free miso soup recipe, we will cover a simple gluten-free dashi recipe for those who wish to have it.
Gluten-free dashi recipe from scratch
To make the gluten-free dashi, you need Kombu which is a type of dried kelp. Kombu comes in long rectangular pieces and is black in color. This wonder food is known for helping reducing cholesterol! The surface of the kombu might have a dusting of a fine white powder; this is completely normal. Simply break off a piece of kombu, as much as you need, to make your gluten-free dashi.
The second ingredient you need to make your gluten-free dashi is bonito flakes. Bonito flakes resemble pencil shavings but are pieces of dried bonito fish. They have a smoky flavor and you can easily find both – the kombu and bonito fish flakes – in Asian supermarkets.
Once you have assembled your ingredients, it is time to make the gluten-free dashi:
Gluten Free Dashi
This easy to follow guide to making your own gluten free dashi from home will make making gluten free miso soup a breeze!
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce kombu, (or one 5x4 inch piece)
- 4 1/2 cups cold water
- 1 cup bonito flakes
Instructions
- In a saucepan, mix the kombu and water. Allow the kombu to soak for about 15 minutes.
- Now bring the water to a simmer. Remove the kombu and discard it.
- Add the bonito flakes. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
- Your dashi is ready. Strain it into a bowl.
- The dashi can stay in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days. You can also freeze it for a month.
Notes
You can buy dashi at any health food store if easier but this works out cheaper and healthier!
I hope you enjoyed this gluten-free miso recipe. Why not make my gluten-free katsu curry or my other favourite gluten-free Chinese dishes to go along side it!
