Japanese Soups and Stews

Dashi is a basic stock used in Japanese cooking which is made by boiling dried kelp (seaweed) and dried bonito (fish). Instant dashi granules are sold in conveniently-sized jars or packets and vary in strength. Add more dashi to your soup if you want a stronger stock. You can use yellow, white or red miso paste for this soup. Yellow miso is sweet and creamy, red miso is stronger and saltier.

Miso paste is a rich and pungent flavoring ingredient in so many Japanese dishes.

Vegetables, noodles, and beef are served in a steaming, flavorful broth made with dashi, mirin, and soy sauce in this Japanese dish, sukiyaki.

This is a wonderful Japanese soup, very popular throughout Japan - with chicken, eggs, and vegetables. A meal in and of itself!

This is not a fishy soup like those that are kelp based. Let this soup mellow overnight for best taste. Like all vegetable soups, measures are approximate and substitutions can include whatever vegetable you want. Mushrooms of any kind are particularly good in this soup.

The basic Japanese soup that's given out as an appetizer at most Japanese restaurants. Very mild, a bit salty, and a touch of tang. It's a very improvisable recipe; most of the ingredients' quantities can be changed according to taste. Use your favorite mushrooms in this recipe.

You can use yellow, white, or red miso paste for the soup, depending on your preference. You will also need dashi, which is made of dried kelp (seaweed) and dried bonito (fish), and can be purchased in granules or powder form in conveniently-sized jars.

Made with kombu, bonito flakes, and miso paste, Japanese miso soup is a simple and comforting.

A delicious Japanese soup with mushrooms and tofu.

Dashi is the basic stock used in most all Japanese cooking. Dashi stock is the base for miso soup. This recipe is for a Konbudashi, which is made with konbu (dried kelp/seaweed) and bonito flakes (a dried fish which has been shaved into flakes.) There are many variations of dashi, but this is probably the most common.

Dashi is an essential broth base for most Japanese dishes and can be purchased in most Asian Grocery stores. For those of you who want to do it from scratch there are several recipes out there, but I find this one is easiest. This recipe uses Konbu (also spelled Kombu), a variety of dried edible kelp that is harvested off the coast of Hokkaido and as far south as the Seto sea. This is a good vegetarian broth and enhances the subtle flavor of Japanese cuisine. It is also a bit friendlier to the western chef than katsubuoshi, which is made from dried fish flakes and can be very aromatic.

Miso is a fermented soy bean paste that adds a rich flavor. This is a quick, healthy soup that is very popular in Japanese cuisine.