Our Taste of Home: Miso Soup

by Lisa Kim

I always like to start and end my day with a warm bowl of Miso soup. No matter how many times I have it, I will never get tired of this dish. That’s because the taste of the soup is always different each day. Miso soup can be made in a variety of ways such as changing the miso broth or the ingredients added to the soup such as tofu, seaweed, onion, and many more. Miso broth varies depending on the region, season, and personal preference. The broth simply consists of 3 components: dashi, miso, and your choice of ingredients. Dashi is a Japanese stock, and is a fundamental ingredient in many Japanese dishes. Along with miso, another important ingredient is fermented soybean paste made from soybeans, steamed rice, salt, and Koji culture. My personal favorite ingredients for miso soup that my mother would make is: white onion and sweet potato. The sweetness of both ingredients and the salty miso broth makes a great combo. Having this before and after a long tiring school day, lightens my body with warmth and comfort. Miso soup is so important to Japanese culture because most households eat it on a daily basis as it's a great healthy start for the day. I’m appreciative that something that has been integral to my grandparent’s and mother’s childhood was part of my childhood.

Since I grew up eating miso soup everyday, I never saw it as something very special or meaningful. However, during the pandemic when I couldn’t visit my grandparents in Japan, the miso soup at home would remind me of the days at their place because the miso paste we use is my grandma’s homemade miso. My mom’s hometown, Shizuoka, often uses Shirasu, baby sardines, in their miso soup. It is now meaningful for me because I feel like I’m back at my grandparents’ place.

My earliest memory of tasting this miso soup was when I visited my grandparents in Japan in fourth grade as an 8 year old during winter break . My grandma would go to what I called the “spooky kitchen,” also known as the pantry, to make and store her homemade miso. As a young child I always thought my grandma was making bitter medicine because she was a pharmacist. She would tell us that if my brother and I do something bad she would make us drink her bitter medicine. Despite the fear, my curiosity took over and I entered the pantry to see what she was doing. In the chilly pantry I would see my grandma preparing the miso for my mom to take back home to the US. I love that this taste of home is something that can be recreated no matter where I am in the world.