Japanese Wakame Seaweed Soup (Printable Version)

Light and mineral-rich Japanese soup with rehydrated wakame, cubed tofu, and savory miso-dashi broth

# What You'll Need:

→ Seaweed and Broth

01 - 0.3 oz dried wakame seaweed
02 - 4 cups dashi stock, vegetarian

→ Vegetables and Tofu

03 - 3.5 oz silken or firm tofu, cubed
04 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced

→ Seasoning

05 - 2 tablespoons white miso paste
06 - 1 teaspoon soy sauce, gluten-free
07 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil, optional

# How to Prepare:

01 - Place dried wakame in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to soak for 5 minutes until fully rehydrated. Drain thoroughly and reserve.
02 - Pour dashi stock into a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
03 - Add cubed tofu and rehydrated wakame to the simmering broth. Continue simmering for 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - In a separate small bowl, whisk white miso paste with one ladle of hot broth until completely smooth. Pour the mixture back into the soup while stirring gently.
05 - Add soy sauce and sesame oil if desired. Stir gently and heat for 1 additional minute without allowing the soup to boil.
06 - Transfer soup to serving bowls and garnish with thinly sliced scallions. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like comfort but feels light enough to eat any time of day without heaviness.
  • The whole thing comes together in 20 minutes, which means you can make this on nights when you're tired but want something real.
  • Wakame gives you iodine and minerals your body actually needs, wrapped in a flavor so subtle it just feels like home.
02 -
  • Never add miso directly to boiling liquid—the heat kills the beneficial bacteria and the paste will clump into sad little balls instead of dissolving silky.
  • The wakame will continue to soften after you remove the pot from heat, so don't oversoak it at the beginning or you'll end up with something mushy.
03 -
  • Toast your miso paste lightly in a dry pan before dissolving it if you want deeper, roasted notes—a trick that completely changes the character of the soup.
  • If you can't find wakame or dashi where you are, kombu and dried shiitake steeped in hot water creates something nearly identical and just as nourishing.
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