News from Baking for Good

Mama Matsuo’s Potato and Onion Miso Soup

Things you need:

• Cutting board/knife
• Pot/Serving spoon
• Spoon (2)

Ingredients:

• potato
• onion
• scallions
• miso paste
• Other possible ingredients: tofu, seaweed, clams, ramen noodles—really anything!

Directions:

1. Boil a pot of cold water (as much soup as you want for your meal)
2. Peel the potato. Cut the potato and onions to preferred shape and size. My personal preference is to cut the onion into crescent shapes and potato into sticks (just how my mom used to make it!)
3. Once the water is boiling, add potato and onions into pot and bring down to low/med heat.  Let the soup simmer until veggies are cooked, about 20 minutes.
4. While the soup is simmering, wash scallions in cold water, and cut them up for garnish.
5. After the veggies are cooked, spoon up a dollop of miso paste.  I usually get a bigger spoon to scoop up the miso, then use a smaller spoon to break down the glob in the soup.  Make sure it dissolves all the way. Adjust the taste of the miso soup by adding as little or as much paste as you want. Stir well so the miso is evenly distributed.
6. Serve it up! Don’t forget to garnish your soup with the scallions. YUM!

• Quick tip #1: Even though using hot water may boil faster, using COLD water MAY be safer to use than hot water.  To heat up the water in tap, the water must pass through a heating system that can contaminate the water; especially if your plumbing is old—be careful!
   
• Quick tip #2: It’s always better to wash vegetables and fruit in cold water because it shocks them and makes them crisper!