Fuki to tofu no akadashi / red miso soup with Japanese butterbur and tofu

This miso soup lets you enjoy the distinctive aroma of fuki. The addition of smooth kinugoshi soft tofu offers a pleasant contrast in textures.

1/2 of recipe:
49 calories; 4.0 g protein; 1.9 g fat; 3.6 g carbohydrate; 2.8 g net carbs;  254 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0.8 g fiber


<Ingredients>

Several fuki Japanese butterbur stalks (50 g, prep-boiled in photo)
Small handful of kinugoshi soft tofu (86 g in photo)
Several chives
250 cc dashi
2 tsp aka red miso
1/2 tsp sakekasu sake lees


<Directions>
1.

In a small pot, put dashi and sakekasu, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes after it starts to boil.

2.

Meanwhile, take some dashi from pot, and loosen miso.

3.

Cut fuki into 3-4 cm.
Chop chives.

4.

Add miso, mix well.

5.

Cut tofu into cubes on palm, and quietly slip into pot.
Heat through tofu (but do not boil).

Add fuki, and heat through (without boiling).

6.

Serve in bowls, and top with chives.

<Notes>

• If you like spicy things, try sprinkling ichimi or shimichi pepper when serving. This adds a hint of fire to liven up the taste.
• Miso's aroma and flavor are at their peak right before the broth reaches the boiling point; therefore, take care not to boil the soup after adding tofu and fuki, and also when reheating.
• The smooth surface of tofu, especially soft tofu, becomes pockmarked with holes and rough if the broth is boiled – another reason not to boil the soup when heating through tofu.
• Sakekasu sake lees is added to lower the total sodium content. It is cooked alone in broth to allow its alcohol content to escape. Sakekasu also mellows the overall taste, so take care with how much you use; for example, putting more than 1/2 tsp above would mask the sharp taste and aroma of red miso.
• If not using sakekasu, use 2 & 1/2 tsp red miso instead of 2 tsp. In this case, the sodium content per serving (1/2 recipe) would be  309 mg.