Hello! I have been using miso to boost my immune system. When I lived in Japan, I ate miso soup or other miso dishes almost every day. My miso intake has reduced since moving here, but I started eating miso dishes daily to prevent illness.
Today, I am going to introduce this delicious immune-boosting soup (it contains garlic and ginger as well!). Japanese fusion miso soup? Because I sautéed many vegetables with olive oil!
Everyone knows that miso is a fermented food and is a natural source of probiotics. Miso is made from fermented soybeans, rice, or barley (or mixes such as soybeans and rice) with salt and koji (Aspergillus oryzae fungus).
Why miso is good for your immune system?
Miso contains good bacteria (probiotics), protein (especially soybean miso), fibers, minerals like zinc and manganese, vitamin Bs, and antioxidants. Especially Melanodins are chemical compounds that have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
I grew up with a traditional Japanese breakfast (continental breakfast on Sat and Sun!!) and had to eat miso soup every morning. My mother told us that miso soup is a superfood that prevents illness. Also, I learned how miso or other fermented foods like soy sauce (or tamari), ume pickled plum, natto (fermented sticky and stinky soybeans), and other fermented foods help keep or improve our health in the home. Some Japanese avoid miso because it is high in sodium, but if you eat with seaweed, minerals from seaweed help remove unnecessary sodium from the body.
Now, COVID-19 is spreading in Japan, and people buy fermented foods like miso and natto to prevent illness because they believe that miso helps their immune systems remain strong.
<Servings: 8>
Ingredients:
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1.5 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped asparagus
8 Brussels sprouts, cut in half or into quarters
1.5 cup broccoli, cut up (use stem too) - cut off the bottom 1-2 inches, which can be quite tough and woody.
8 chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup diced tomato
1 cup cooked kidney beans
2-3 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and black pepper
2 Tablespoons white miso paste (or red miso) - I use rice miso.
10-12 cups water
One 12-inch long piece of kombu (kelp), wiped with a damp cloth. Kombu contains a lot of minerals.
2 dried shiitake mushrooms (optional)
Instructions:
1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and onion. Turn heat down to medium and season with salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring for a few minutes.
2. Add carrot, celery, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes until tender. Add kidney beans and stir for 1 minute.
3. Add kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms, and water. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes tomato. Cook for 15 minutes.
4. Please don't discard the kombu. Cut into small pieces of both kombu and shiitake mushrooms and put them back in the soup.
5. Add the miso pastes and whisk until the miso paste is completely dissolved. Simmer for 30 seconds. Taste the soup, and if you need more salt, add the miso pastes.
Posted on April 5th, 2020