Soup: Shiitake Lemongrass Miso

I had heard of a Wild Oats being nearby my home…but I have never seen it. It was like my own white whale. I’d pass by the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and look down the street to see if I could see it from 7th street….but alas, nothing. Finally, this weekend…I  decided to go to the Wild Oats site and do a store locater search to end this mystery. Turns out, it’s a Whole Foods that I already know of. I’m not a stock market expert, but when I first heard that Whole Foods and Wild Oats were merging, I was seriously thinking of buying stock…but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

While I was on their site, I saw a nice image of a soup and a link to the recipe. I’m a huge fan of soups, so I decided it was easy enough to try out.

I’m going to cut and paste the recipe directly from the site itself:

Dairy-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan

Colorful peppers, carrots and green onions add bright flavors to this miso soup. Earthy shiitake mushrooms and fragrant lemongrass provide the background aromas. Serve soup over cooked brown rice, if desired.

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon unrefined (not toasted) sesame oil or canola oil
• 1/3 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
• 1 (12-inch) length of lemongrass
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 5 green onions, white and light green parts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 pound extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons miso paste
• 1 handful cilantro or flat parsley leaves

Heat a large saucepot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil, mushrooms, garlic, ginger and soy sauce and toss to coat. Cook, stirring once or twice, until mushrooms are browned on edges, about 5 minutes. Bruise stalk of lemongrass with the back of a knife to release the flavorful volatile oils and cut it into 3 pieces. Add lemongrass to pot.

Pour in vegetable broth and increase heat to medium high, scraping bottom of pan to release any browned bits. Stir in green onion, carrot, red pepper and tofu. Bring to a boil and reduce to a brisk simmer for 5 minutes. When vegetables are tender, remove from heat. Remove lemongrass from pot and discard. Put miso paste in a small bowl and add a tablespoon or two of hot broth from the pot. Stir to dissolve miso. Stir dissolved miso into pot. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro or parsley.

Nutrition Info

Per serving (About 16oz/452g-wt.): 240 calories (70 from fat), 8g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 14g protein, 36g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 12g sugar), 5mg cholesterol, 600mg sodium

I added some chili paste to the soup while it was cooking for additional spice. Looking back at it now, I would do it again but add the brown rice for a little more substance. The soup was extremely easy to make and quick as well. Also, if you’re not a fan of tofu, I would suggest adding shrimp instead.