About Miso Paste

Miso is more than just soup. You can use this versatile paste in salad dressings, as well as dips, sauces and spreads. It's delicious on vegetables like these Miso Baked Sweet Potatoes. The lighter coloured miso pastes have a milder flavour than darker ones. Dark miso has a hearty flavour that complements root vegetables beautifully, as with the daikon radish and carrot in this soup. You'll find miso paste in the refrigerator case near the tofu in your grocery store, or, in an Asian grocery.

What's a Daikon Radish?

If you aren't familiar with daikon, it's a very large white radish with a mild, sweet flavour. The word daikon actually means, "large root" It's sometimes called Oriental radish, or Japanese radish. Check out this article for more info on this great produce item, and to see a picture: What is Daikon Good For? Daikon is easy to find in the produce section of most groceries, but, if you can't find one, substitute a turnip or rutabaga in this soup.

What is Dashi?

Another ingredient that you might not be familiar with here is dashi. Dashi is a stock made from dried seaweed, dried shitake mushrooms, dried fish, or all three. The best way to describe dashi is that it tastes like the sea. You will usually find it in a crystal form, at an Asian grocery, or in the ethnic food section of your grocery store. Be sure to check the label if you would like a vegan version. If you can't find it, dashi, leave it out or use a teaspoon of fish sauce instead.

I used a spiralizer to get the thin "noodles" of vegetables, which lets them cook up quickly. You can also just use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons or julienne them by hand. Cook the veggies until just tender, but still slightly crisp for a fresh and flavourful soup.

Chopsticks are the best way to eat this bowl of goodness, Polish up your chopstick skills at home, so you can show them off the next time you eat out.

Recipe