Miso Shiru Tofu Wakame Classic Preparation Balance

Ingredients

• For the dashi
• 800 ml ichiban dashi, prepared and strained before beginning
• 120 g silken tofu, cut into small cubes
• 4 g dried wakame seaweed, soaked in cold water until softened, drained
• For the miso
• 20 g shiro miso (white miso), for awase miso blend — 2 parts white
• 10 g red miso (Sendai or equivalent), for awase miso blend — 1 part red

Method

1. 1
   Bring the prepared ichiban dashi to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. The surface should tremble but not break into a rolling boil.
2. 2
   Add the cubed silken tofu to the simmering dashi and allow it to warm through for 2 to 3 minutes. The cubes should be heated to the centre but retain their soft, yielding structure — they must not firm or lose their delicate texture.
3. 3
   Add the drained wakame to the pot moments before serving. It requires only seconds of contact with the hot dashi to warm through; it should be supple and bright green-edged — any grey-green colour or sliminess indicates it has been held too long.
4. 4
   Remove the pot from the heat. This is where the dish lives or dies: place the awase miso into a ladle, submerge the ladle in the hot dashi, and dissolve the miso gradually through the ladle's perforations using a small spoon or chopstick, letting it disperse into the soup without returning the pot to the flame. The miso must never boil — boiling destroys the volatile aromatic compounds and kills the active enzymes and bacteria that give miso its complexity. The soup should carry a clean, deep savoury aroma the moment the miso dissolves.
5. 5
   Taste immediately for salt and savour balance — the miso's inherent salt should be sufficient; no soy sauce or additional salt is added. Ladle at once into warmed bowls and serve without delay. Quality diminishes with every passing minute.