Shiitake Miso Broth with Tamari & Ginger
Shiitake Miso Broth with Tamari & Ginger
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Yield: 4
Category: Soup
Author: Chef Marlene Watson Tara
Date Published: June 25, 2026
Ingredients
1 small strip of kombu seaweed (4 inches)
2 dried shiitake mushrooms
Small handful of dried maitake mushrooms
8 cups filtered water 2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 tsp. wakame flakes
4 or 5 heaped tsp. miso paste (approx. one tsp. miso per bowl of soup) I use barley or brown rice miso for depth of flavour
1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger juice
A few drops of tamari
Diced spring onion or chives and alfalfa sprouts, for garnish
Description
Miso is a fermented soybean paste used to flavour various dishes, but is most widely used as a stock to season soups. Miso’s natural fermentation process creates a combination of enzymes that strengthen and nourish the intestinal tract. As a result, the blood that nourishes the balance of the body is much stronger. The quality of our blood creates the people we are and the health we possess. This basic miso soup should be a daily staple of your diet. It encompasses the use of sea vegetables to mineralise the blood, and you can choose from a variety of fresh vegetables. These ingredients create a strengthening energy vital to life. Miso has been used for centuries in the Orient as a remedy for cancer, weak digestion, low libido, several types of intestinal infections, lowering cholesterol, and so much more and is one of the world’s most medicinal foods.
How-to? Steps
Step 1: Soak
Soak the kombu and shiitake or maitake mushrooms in filtered water for one hour. Remove the mushrooms and cut them into small pieces. If using shiitake mushrooms, cut off the stems and discard and thinly slice the caps.
Step 2: Preparation
Bring to a boil and then cover and cook on low simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes. I simmer longer, at least one hour, to make the broth richer. Do what works in your timeframe. Add the shallots and wakame flakes and cook for 10 minutes. Place the miso paste into a small mesh strainer and lower it into the broth, using a spoon. Stir until the paste is dissolved, and then scrape in the residue (grain) into the soup pot. Add the ginger juice to aid in digestion and facilitate the cells’ uptake of sugars, stir in a few drops of tamari.
Step 3: Chef’s Tips
Do not boil the miso – it has so many living microorganisms, which are a wonderful digestive tonic. You can make a larger batch, store it in a glass container in the refrigerator, and take the required amount each morning and gently warm it.
To bulk up and make this delicious bowl a meal, add cooked quinoa, short-grain brown rice or some soba or udon noodles along with cubed tofu.