Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms and Bok Choy

This simple vegan Miso Soup is loaded with shiitake mushrooms and tender bok choy. It’s a quick, easy recipe that keeps food waste to a minimum.

Disclaimer: I’m probably breaking a lot of culinary “rules” in this recipe by committing such horrors as munching on shiitake stems and adding kombu back into miso soup after the dashi stock has been created.

But rules were meant to be broken, and I am a rebel with a cause.

The cause being to fill my belly while reducing food waste at the same time.

In any case, this miso soup comes together in a breeze and is loaded with some serious flavor created by a relatively few ingredients.

For the recipe you will need:

• dried kelp or kombu
• white miso paste
• shiitake mushrooms
• baby bok choy
• green onions
• fresh ginger
• fresh garlic

Benefits of Kelp

Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) is very closely related Kombu (Saccharina japonica), the seaweed used in Japanese cuisine to create dashi, the stock used as a base for most traditional miso soups.

As far as I can tell, the culinary and nutritional differences between sugar kelp and kombu are pretty negligible, so I use them interchangeably.

Just a few benefits of kelp include:

• Good source of calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron
• Contains significant levels of Vitamins A, B an C
• High in iodine
• Possible weight loss aid that may inhibit fat absorption
• It’s loaded with tasty umami flavor

I am a big fan of this wild Atlantic kelp from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables which I pick up at my local market and can also be found on Amazon here.

Upon inspection, one will notice a fine white powder that covers dried kelp. There no need for alarm, this is just natural salt and sugars that come out during the drying process.

The powder contains the glutamic acid responsible for all that wonderful umami flavor found in kelp, so avoid the urge to rinse it off.

What’s the Deal with Miso?

Much like our friends sauerkraut and kimchi, miso is a fermented food loaded with probiotic goodness.

It’s made by fermenting soy beans with koji, beans or grains that have been innoculated with the mold Aspergillus oryzae.

Miso comes in a variety of colors ranging from light to dark. In general, the darker the miso, the longer it has been fermented, which means the flavor will be more intense.

Being a soy product, miso is technically not a part of the Paleo diet. The fermentation process does, however, remove phytic acid (one of the main reasons leguemes are avoided) and some other anti-nutrients.

Personally, I think the benefits of miso greatly outweigh the negatives, but you can read up on the thoughts of people who are way smarter than me to form your own opinion.

• Chris Kessler: The Soy Ploy
• Mark Sisson: Scrutinizing Soy

How to Make Miso Soup with Shiitakes and Bok Choy

Start by wiping the shiitake mushrooms clean of any dirt or debris, then separate the stems from the caps.

Thinly slice the caps and roughly chop the stems.

In a large pot, combine a sheet of kelp with the chopped shiitake stems and 6 cups of water.

Set the heat to medium, then when the water just begins to simmer, reduce the heat as low as it will go.

The idea is to keep the water temperature at very low simmer (around 140°F-160°F) because here kombu releases the most flavor. It may also become bitter if boiled for too long.

After about 20 minutes, remove the kelp. Once it has cooled, give it a rough chop.

Ladle out roughly 3/4 cup of the broth into a separate bowl (you’ll need this later), then raise the heat to medium high and bring it to a gentle boil.

Add the sliced shiitake caps to the pot along with some grated garlic and ginger.

Simmer the mushrooms until they start to get tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the chopped baby bok choy and green onions to the pot and continue to simmer until the bok choy is tender, about 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the reserved broth with 1/3 cup of white miso paste in a separate bowl.

Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the miso has completely dissolved.

Toss the chopped kelp back to the pot, then remove the pot from heat and stir in the miso slurry.

Ladle the soup into bowls and enjoy.

The soup will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Just remember to gently reheat it over medium-low heat to avoid boiling the miso.

More Soup for You!

• Cream of Asparagus Soup
• Rutabaga and Parsnip Soup
• Fish Stew with Okra and New Potatoes

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