Weekly photo challenge: Dinnertime Miso soup.

The Weekly photo challenge is Dinnertime. My son loved eating the Miso soup at the Ichiban Japanese restaurant. He wanted me to make it. I bought him a package that you just put in water and it makes a bowl but he wanted me to find a recipe and make it. I searched the internet and looked at YouTube videos and found one recipe. The ingredients for it were sold at an Asian Market. First you have to make Dashi. It is made from dried kelp called Kombu and some Katsobushi which is dried Bonito Flakes.

I went into the market and told the clerk what I was looking for. She read the ingredients and took me to where the stuff was. It was a good thing because the writing on the bag was in Chinese and I could not even tell you what it says.

Here is the back of the fish flakes bag. Try to follow those directions.

I also got some tofu and miso paste.

To make it you take 4 cups of water in a pan and take one of the dried kelp pieces. I think it is sea weed. You put it in the water and heat at medium heat until just before boiling. Then you take out the kelp. It smells like the ocean.

Next I measured out 2 cups of the Bonito flakes. Boys the bag stinks when you open it. It smells like a strong old fish smell. It smells awful. You put the flakes in the kelp water and let the water boil, then immediately turn off the heat. Leave it for 5 minutes and strain so you just have the broth. It is now Dashi.

Cut up your tofu into cubes. My son cut up half a package but he said next time he only wanted a 1/4 package. A half is a lot. The recipe calls for 1 package. I used the medium tofu because the clerk said to use that.

Boil the Dashi and then add the tofu. Reduce heat to low and take 4 tablespoons of miso paste and put it in a little strainer basket and dissolve the miso paste into the Dashi.

You have to stir it around in the screen strainer until it dissolves. I guess it will break up the tofu if you just drop it in and stir it. Take care not to boil it.

Add green onions that you sliced up. My son cut up 2 but he said next time he only wants one. Remove from heat and eat.

I then made him some teriyaki chicken and rice and this is how it looks when it is all done.

The soup tastes pretty good. I am amazed something that good came out of those fish flakes. Who knew. My son ate almost the whole thing. I meant the whole pan on the stove, the 4 cups worth.