Healthy Miso Soup Vegan Recipe (Basics for Beginners) | Purple Avocado (2024)

FAQs

How to make miso soup without killing the probiotics? ›

Don't Kill the Probiotic!

It is super simple to make and consists of only two ingredients (although you can add more if you like) and the only thing you need to remember is to not heat the water above 115 degrees. The lower temperature will preserve all the probiotics and keep them from being destroyed by high heat.

Dashi (出汁) is broth or soup stock that forms the backbone of many Japanese dishes, including miso soup. There are several different types of dashi, made either of dried kelp, shiitake mushrooms, bonito flakes, or anchovies/sardines.

Soybeans, used to make miso paste, are also rich in protein and other important nutrients that contribute to a healthy diet. Miso soup contains prebiotics and probiotics, which may contribute to improved gut health.

Tip. Don't bring the soup to a boil! Because miso is a fermented food, it's teeming with probiotics. Boiling miso kills these beneficial bacteria, so you'll miss out on some of its health benefits.

Miso soup is full of probiotics, which contribute to improved gut health and reduced inflammation. Miso is known for being rich in vitamins and minerals, good for bones, improving digestion, and heart function. It may also reduce the risk of cancer, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and diabetes.

In terms of health benefits, the darker and more strongly flavored miso varieties tend to be the most nutritious. Here are a few of the healthiest types of miso: Red Miso: Made with a higher percentage of soybeans and fermented for a longer period of time, red miso has a rich, complex flavor and a dark red-brown color.

Most miso stock is dashi, a Japanese broth made from dried fish, kelp, and shiitake mushrooms. Japanese versions of vegan miso stock use dashi that only contains mushrooms and kelp. Miso stock in the United States may use vegetable, chicken, or Western-style fish stock instead of dashi.

Some miso soup is made with katsuobushi dashi, a stock containing katsuobushi, or bonito flakes. These non-vegan flakes are made of smoked skipjack tuna ( 3 , 4 ). Niboshi dashi is another type of miso soup that uses dried Japanese anchovies instead of tuna in its stock. As such, it's likewise not vegan ( 5 ).

Although the classic recipe includes dashi, a miso soup dashi substitute made from chicken or vegetable broth can also cultivate a robust base for the soup, ensuring no flavor is sacrificed in the absence of dashi.

Miso soup is low calorie, low fat, and high in nutrient content, so it is safe to eat daily. However, it does have a high salt content. So, those on blood thinning medication or who have heart problems (including high blood pressure and heart disease) may want to limit their consumption of miso soup.

What to put inside miso soup? ›

So Naturally, in authentic Japanese cooking recipes, Miso soup recipes are mostly vegetables. However, nowadays, you can add meat proteins such as cooked chicken, shrimp, crab, and pork. You can also add an egg to your soup. Simply crack an egg into the soup and let it cook for a few minutes before stirring it in.

Because it is a fermented food miso is probiotic and easily digestible, making it an ideal detoxing food for the gut. Miso can also help guard against cancer, heart disease and diabetes and it can strengthen the immune system.

Some people may have an allergy to soy protein and will therefore need to avoid miso and other soy-based foods. Soybeans are considered to be goitrogenic. This means if you have a thyroid issue you may be advised to minimise your intake.

Boiling miso can harm the probiotic bacteria. At temperatures above 115 degrees Fahrenheit these delicate bacteria are destroyed. We recommend adding miso paste to soups just prior to serving.

When miso goes bad, its flavor also changes. It becomes more sour and astringent. If the taste has changed from when you purchased it, it is evidence that it has gone bad and you should stop eating it. To avoid food poisoning, do not eat miso that has a sour smell, sour taste, or mold growth.

Adding it to boiling water will kill the probiotics in the miso, nixing the health benefits it typically offers, like better digestive health. Wait until the soup has been taken off the heat and then stir or whisk in miso to taste.

To preserve the probiotic qualities of miso, you must avoid boiling it; instead, whisk in the miso just before serving, while the soup is still warm. Eric Kim's delicious recipe for miso soup is easy to make vegan. You could use a simple kombu dashi for the base, of course, or tweak Eric's recipe a bit.

Thus, heating at high temperatures such as those used in blanching, canning, or “stir-fry” cooking is unthinkable for probiotics because temperatures are above 80°C, which would kill the cells.

Does Heat Kill Probiotics? Some fermented foods lose their probiotic organisms as a result of heat treatment. Canned sauerkraut and canned kimchi, two foods that contain probiotics when not canned, are put under heat as part of the canning process. Often, this heat deactivates the probiotics found in these foods.