• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

2 Process the soup in a blender until smooth; you will have to do this in batches. Return the soup to the saucepan and heat gently.

3 Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the carrot and pars-nip and simmer in the butter until softened, about 10 minutes.

4 Transfer the carrot mixture to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Miso Noodle Bowl

Serves 4

Miso and kombu combine to make a delicious broth for this vegetarian soup that is both comforting and filling. Kombu is a dark brown to grayish black seaweed that is dried and folded into sheets. It may be covered with a white powder, which should be wiped, but not washed, off. You can find both the seaweed and the miso in natural-foods stores and wherever Japanese foods are sold.

¼ ounce kombu (two 6-inch pieces)

4 cups water

12 ounces udon noodles

2 tablespoons canola, sunflower, or other vegetable oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 large carrots, peeled and julienned

1 (½-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

3 cups vegetable broth (page 126)

4 cups lightly packed finely chopped kale (remove and discard tough stems)

1 pound silken tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 cup light or dark miso

1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste

1 Bring the kombu and water to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the kombu, reserving the broth.

2 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the udon noodles and simmer, covered, until al dente, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water to remove excess starch. Set aside.

3 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until limp, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and ginger and sauté until the carrot is tender, about 5 minutes.

4 Add the broth, cover, and bring to a boil. Add the greens and tofu and simmer for 3 minutes.

5 Meanwhile, whisk the miso into the reserved kombu broth until it is free of lumps and mostly dissolved. Stir in the soy sauce, and then stir the kombu broth into the soup. Gently reheat, if necessary, but don’t allow the soup to boil.

6 To serve, evenly divide the noodles among the soup bowls and top with the hot soup.

Kitchen Note: You can use any miso you have on hand, but if you are buying miso for the first time, you might want to start with light (shiro) miso, which is quite mild in flavor. Darker miso has been fermented longer and is saltier. Store miso in its container in the refrigerator for up to 1 year.

Onion-Miso Soup

Serves 4–6

A cross between a French onion soup and a simple miso broth, this vegetarian soup contains delicious caramelized onions, silken tofu, and crispy napa cabbage.

2 tablespoons peanut, sunflower, or canola oil

2 onions, halved and thinly sliced

1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps (remove and discard the stems)

6 cups water

3 tablespoons tamari, plus more to taste

12 ounces firm silken tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups thinly sliced napa or Chinese cabbage

¼ cup light or dark miso, dissolved in ½ cup hot water

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and sauté until the onions are golden, about 10 minutes.

2 Add the water and bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

3 Add the tamari, tofu, and cabbage, and simmer just until the cabbage wilts, about 3 minutes.

4 Remove from the heat and stir in the miso broth. Taste and add more tamari if desired. Serve at once.

Curried Potato-Carrot Soup

Serves 4

This scrumptious soup is ready in less than an hour. Choose baking potatoes for the best texture, but any potato will work. The fenugreek, found wherever Indian foods are sold, adds a flavor reminiscent of toasted cumin, but sweeter. Milk is added just before serving to give the soup a creamy texture and smooth out any rough flavor edges.

2 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil

1 onion, diced

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon