Miso Noodle Soup in a Jar

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup that has gained popularity worldwide. It is a very healthy soup that is rich in probiotics. It helps to keep healthy bacteria at the right levels which is good for your digestive health. It reduces the risk of constipation, diarrhea, and other problems.

Ingredients

• Tofu – 12 ounces, extra firm
• Vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon
• White miso paste – 3 tablespoons
• Green onions – ¼ cup, sliced
• Garlic cloves – 2, minced
• Vegetable stock base – 1 tablespoon
• Fresh ginger – 1 tablespoon, grated
• Cooked rice vermicelli noodles – 1.5 cups
• Shitake mushrooms – 1 cup, thinly sliced
• Baby bok choy = 1 cup, thinly sliced

Cooking instructions

1. Cut tofu ½ inches in size. Put a large skillet over your stove and turn on the heat to medium-high. Cook the tofu thoroughly. Make sure you turn them halfway through. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until they are golden in color. After cooling, cut them into cubes.
2. Take a small bowl and add miso paste, sliced green onions, vegetable stock base, chopped garlic cube, and ginger. Pour this inside 3 canning jars with lids that are microwave-safe.
3. Cook the rice vermicelli noodles in boiling water.
4. Layer it with cooked rice vermicelli noodles, tofu, mushrooms, and bok choy.
5. Cover them and cool them in the refrigerator. You can keep them for up to 5 days.
6. Garnish with green onions.
7. If you are ready to eat, take the jar out from the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature by resting them for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of water to the jar until it's almost full.
8. Put the jar in the microwave with the lid on for 5 minutes.
9. Shake or invite the jar to mix the ingredients.
10. Transfer it to a bowl and serve. Prep Time 5 minutes

Making miso paste at home

Though you will find miso paste in the supermarket, you can try making it home. You should know that it's a complex process and it takes time. Miso paste has a complex taste as it is salty and sweet at the same time. Miso paste is traditionally made from fermenting soybeans. Now you can find various versions of it which are made from barley, hemp, rye, millet, or seaweed.

There are different types of miso paste like sweet white (Shiro miso), red ( Aka miso), and yellow (Awase miso).

Ingredients

• Soybeans
• Rice koji (steamed rice treated with fermentation culture). It will start the fermentation process in soybeans.
• Salt
• Water

Method

1. Step 1
   Rinse the soybeans and soak them overnight with plenty of water. You will notice that they have doubled in size.
2. Step 2
   Drain and rinse the soybeans.
3. Step 3
   Add lots of water to a large pot and cook the soybeans in them. It may take 2 to 3 hours for the soybeans to become soft. Top up the water so that the soybeans stay submerged in the water.
4. Step 4
   Drain the soybeans again. Keep 1.25 cups of the water in which you cooked the soybeans aside. Mix this liquid with some salt.
5. Step 5
   In the koji rice add warm water and let it soak for 30 minutes.
6. Step 6
   Blend the beans with the soybean liquid till it becomes a smooth paste.
7. Step 7
   Sterilize the container where you want to ferment the paste.
8. Step 8
   Mix the soybean paste by placing it at the bottom of the container with the soaked rice koji. You can knead them for proper mixing. Make sure the mixture is not hot; otherwise, the bacteria won't work.
9. Step 9
   Ferment the paste. Put a plastic wrap on the top of the container and seal it to ensure that no air enters. Place it in a cool place to ferment. You need to ferment it for 6 months.

During the Kamakura period and the Japanese civil war, miso soup became the daily meal of the samurais. Now it's liked by the modern people of different nationalities too.