Raw Miso Soup

I have been learning a lot about raw food in the last month and a half.  I will put on a complete article about it at some point.

For now, here is a simple raw recipe that is great for beginners, and satisfies cravings for meat and cooked food if you’re just starting to go
vegetarian, vegan, or raw.  It’s super quick, and the ingredients are not hard to find, or even expensive.

What is miso?

Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning made with various combinations of rice, barley, and soybeans.  It’s fermented, and it has
a dark, meaty flavor that adds that zing to many dishes.  Some varieties are supposed to be very nutritious, as well.  It is a very flavorful paste, and a small amount goes a long way. Some  miso is quite salty, so adjust the recipe to your liking.  You can find Miso in Asian specialty stores, health food stores, or in the ethnic food/Asian section of your grocery store.  You should avoid cooking miso, adding it at the very end to stirfries, stews, soups, etc.  Miso goes well with mushrooms and seaweed.

Miso soup is often made with chicken broth and tofu.  This raw version uses miso only for the broth flavor, and mushrooms instead of tofu.
It has a lot more “stuff” in it than traditional miso soup, but I think it is very satisfying and delicious.

This is Sage’s recipe.  Thanks Sage!

Ingredients for 1 person:

Chopped red bell pepper
grated carrot
sliced mushrooms
grated cabbage OR seaweed (any kind you like) – cut up into bite sized pieces if needed
chopped green onions (scallions) or leeks
1 tsp. to 1 Tbs. miso
A splash of soy sauce or tamari

1.  If your hot water is hot enough, you don’t even need to boil the water.  Just add really hot water to the miso, a bit at a time,
and stir until dissolved.  If you don’t find the water hot enough, you can boil, or bring to just before a boil.  Don’t boil your
veggies!  Just boil the water, then add ingredients.

2. After dissolving the miso, add your chopped up veggies, arranging them attractively.

3.  Enjoy!  Yum!