Miso soup is the daily soup of Japan: dashi stock (kombu + katsuobushi) whisked with fermented miso paste, served with varying garnishes depending on region and season. The soup should not boil after the miso is added — boiling destroys the living cultures and flattens the flavour.
Regional variation
- Kyoto: white shiro miso, mild and sweet
- Tokyo: mixed or red miso, deeper and saltier
- Nagoya: hatcho miso (60+ days aged), intensely savoury
- Okinawa: local awase miso with pork-based dashi
Common garnish pairings
| Miso type | Common garnishes |
|---|---|
| Shiro (white) | clams, cabbage, potato |
| Awase (mixed) | tofu, wakame, green onion |
| Aka (red) | daikon, burdock root, mushrooms |