Spring Vegetable Miso Soup with Gluten-Free Yuba Noodles
This extra flavorful vegan miso soup has a creamy, rich broth fragrant with fresh pureed ginger and scallion. Loaded with spring vegetables, seared mushrooms, and hearty yuba noodles (or diced tofu), this soup makes a nourishing main dish or flavorful start to a Japanese-inspired meal. Adapted from the Ginger Miso Ramen recipe from Bowl by Lukas Volger.
1ouncedried shiitake mushrooms (or other dried mushrooms; about 1 cup)
8cupshot water
Miso Broth:
1cupDashi, from above
4large or 6 smaller scallions, thinly sliced
Scant ¼ cup (25 g) coarsely chopped ginger root
3tablespoons(60 g) sweet white miso paste
2tablespoons(30 ml) neutral oil such as sunflower
1tablespoon(15 ml) rice vinegar
1teaspoonfine sea salt, more as needed
Soup:
Remaining dashi, from above
1tablespoon(15 ml) neutral oil such as sunflower, more as needed
6cupsthinly sliced trumpet or shiitake mushrooms (450 g)
1/2bunch asparagus
1cupsnap peas, slivered (a few pretty halves reserved for garnish)
1medium baby bok choy, trimmed, thinly sliced, washed well
8-10ouncesyuba sheets, cut into half-inch thick noodles and separated (soak in warm water for a few minutes if the sheets are hard to separate) or tofu in small cubes
1medium purple daikon radish, peeled and cut into matchsticks (or a few pink radishes)
2yellow carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
tamari (or soy sauce if gluten isn’t an issue)
togarashi
Instructions
Dashi Stock:
Combine the kombu, dried mushrooms, and hot water in a large heatproof pitcher, jar, or pot and let stand at least 30 minutes and up to several hours. Drain, squeezing the liquid out of the vegetables; discard the vegetables. Strain through a coffee filter to remove any sand that may have come from the seaweed or mushrooms.
Miso Broth:
Combine the scallions, ginger, miso, oil, vinegar, and salt in the bowl of a blender. Add 1 cup of the dashi and blend on medium-high until smooth. Strain through a medium mesh strainer to remove any rogue ginger pieces that didn’t get blended.
Soup:
Heat the oil in a wide saute pan set over medium heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and a few pinches of salt. Cook, tossing and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and golden, 5-10 minutes. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
Snap the woody ends off of the asparagus and discard. Cut off the pretty tips and reserve. Use a T-shaped vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus into ribbons. (Alternatively, thinly slice the asparagus on the diagonal.) Have the rest of the vegetables prepared.
Bring the remaining dashi to a simmer in a large pot. Add the sauteed mushrooms and bok choy and simmer until the bok choy is crisp tender and bright green, 2-3 minutes. Add the snap peas and asparagus and cook until crisp tender, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the ginger miso broth.
Divide the yuba noodles among serving bowls. Ladle in the soup. Garnish bowls with the radish and carrots. Pass tamari and togarashi at the table so guests can season their own bowls.
Notes
*To style these bowls extra pretty like I did here, blanch each vegetable separately in boiling water and rinse with cool water to preserve their color. Add the broth to the bowl, then arrange the components in each bowl in separate clumps. You may need to pop the bowls in the microwave before serving to warm everything up.*The dashi can be made several days ahead. The rest of the soup is best prepared close to serving for the brightest colors and flavors, although leftovers keep well for 2-3 days.Nutritional values are based on one of four servings.