Get Healthy with Miso Soup

By Chef Valerie Wilson

Miso is fermented soybean paste. It tastes salty and is used to season dishes such as soups, sauces, and stews. It is a living food containing lactobacillus, which is a healthful micro-organisms to help aid in digestion. Miso contains many minerals and vitamins, including B12. There are 11 g. of protein in 1 tablespoon of dark miso, and it is a complete protein containing all eight essential amino acids.

The soybean has been cultivated for about 2,500 years, and for good reason. These wonderful beans contain iron, carotene, niacin, and vitamins B and B2. They promote clear vision and vitality, as well as improve circulation and support detoxification. Along with all these wonderful traits, soybeans also have isoflavones, which are similar to a natural estrogen that may help prevent hot flashes.

They also contain genistein, which helps prevent heart disease and may stop the spread of some cancers in their early stages. These power-packed beans contain protease inhibitors that are a universal anti-carcinogen and may block the action of cancer-causing enzymes. And if that is not enough reason to start enjoying these wondrous beans, they also contain phytic acids that inhibit the growth of tumors.

Buttercup Squash Miso Soup with Brown Rice 

Brown Rice

1 cup brown rice

2 cups water

1. Wash the brown rice in a bowl, swish with your hands, then drain the water using a strainer.
2. Put the washed brown rice and water in a pot and bring to a boil for a minute.
3. Reduce to the lowest possible temperature, cover, and simmer for one hour.

Miso Soup

10 cups water

1 onion (diced)

1/2 cup frozen shiitake mushrooms

1 T. wakame flakes (or approx. 6 inches of wakame)

2 cups daikon (cut in cubes) (or turnip, parsnips, rutabaga)

4 cups butter cup squash (or butternut)

1 cups carrots (diced)

1 cups cabbage (diced)

1/4 cup minced greens

1/3 cup dark miso

1 tsp. sea salt

1. Bring water to a boil in a large soup pot.
2. Soak the wakame for 2 to 3 minutes until it is soft. Cut in small pieces.
3. Add the vegetables one at a time, letting the water come back to a boil between each vegetable. Add all the vegetables except the minced greens.
4. Reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes until all vegetables are fork-tender.
5. Add the minced greens and brown rice, and let simmer for 5 more minutes.
6. Turn off the heat. Put the miso in a measuring cup, add some hot soup broth, and dissolve the miso. Add the dissolved miso and sea salt to the pot, mix together, sit for 5 minutes, and serve hot.

Recipe note: You can substitute the vegetables in this recipe. The butter cup or kabocha squash is the key to flavoring the soup. Its natural sweetness complements the salty miso.