Vegetable Miso Stew

Far from traditional, but sooo delicious, this creamy miso stew/soup is one of my ultimate comfort foods. With this soup, I love a few different things! kabocha squash thats perfectly autumnal, earthy shiitake mushrooms, crisp savoy cabbage and juicy soup dumplings, which let’s be honest, is one of the most delicious textural combos. And while it doesn’t start with a base of dashi, you still get all these rich, salty, savory, umami notes from traditional white miso, garlic, ginger, onions and savory broth.

What is Miso?

Miso is a fermented paste made by combining a mixture of soybeans, a rice mold called koji, incidentally its also used in making sake. After the initial inoculation, the mixture is left to ferment and gain more flavor. White miso is the lightest and red is intense. Because miso is fermented its rich in probiotics. To add to soups it is typically dissolved separately inn some warm broth and then added at the end of the cooking process this reduces killing all the beneficially bacteria therefore miso should not be boiled.

What is the difference between red and white miso?

The difference is all in the fermentation time! White miso tends to have a milder flavor and shorter maturity period, while red and darker miso tend to have more rich aged flavor. Both are good for varied uses, you just have to choose the flavor profile you want for your recipe! For our recipe we’re using white.

Ingredients Needed

Since this soup is far from its traditional Japanese counterpart, the ingredients are very different. Here is everything you’ll need:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 1/2 tbsp white miso paste
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1 fat inch ginger
• 2 cups plant-based milk, almond or oat is perfect
• 2 cups veggie or chicken broth
• ¼ medium kabocha squash
• 8 oz firm tofu
• 1/2 small head savoy cabbage
• 8 oz shiitake or mushrooms of your choice
• 6-8 soup dumplings or any frozen dumplings(store bought is fine, I used Trader Joes)
• 1 tbsp mirin, optional
• 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tbsp chili oil, optional

How To Make This Miso Stew

• Warm olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
• Add the chopped onions, garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the milk, broth and kabocha squash. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the squash has cooked through with some bite.
• Add the shiitake, tofu and dumpling and cook further until the dumplings are cooked through. Add the savoy cabbage leaves. They will wilt in the heat.
• Lastly, take the miso in a ladle or large spoon add a little bit of the hot broth. Whisk until the miso its dissolved, stir it back into the soup. Mix well. Take the soup off the heat and set aside to serve.
• To serve, ladle soup into a bowl. Making sure each bowl has all the ingredients and equal share of dumplings. Drizzle with chili oil, garnish with toasted sesame seeds, green onions, pomegranate if available and serve!