Ebi to kabu no misoshiru / miso soup with shrimp and Japanese turnip

This very gentle yet full-flavored miso soup features our local coon shrimp -- baby-size botan ebi spot shrimp -- and kabu turnip. Sweet Saikyo white miso is used for maximum tenderness, which is countered by the nostril-clearing sensation of karashi mustard.

1/2 of recipe:
73 calories; 8.2 g protein; 1.0 g fat; 4.8 g carbohydrate; 3.5 g net carbs; 338 mg sodium; 46 mg cholesterol; 1.3 g fiber; 287 mg potassium


<Ingredients>

1 kabu Japanese turnip (125 g in photo)
14 coon shrimp with heads (125 g in photo)
250 g ebi-dashi shrimp stock (made with ingredients listed below)
1/2 tsp sakekasu sake lees
2 tsp Saikyo white miso
1/4 tsp karashi mustard (powder) + 1/4 tsp water

For ebi-dashi shrimp stock
350 cc kobudashi kelp stock (350 cc water + 1 small piece [0.8 g] kombu kelp)
Heads and shells of 10 coon shrimp (among 14 shrimp above; 64 g)
1 g butter
1 tbsp sake

<Directions>
1.

Peel shrimp.
Keep refrigerated until use.

2.

Make ebi-dashi shrimp stock with heads and shells of 10 coon shrimp.
Melt butter, and saute shrimp heads and shells on medium-low heat. Crush heads with spatula while sauteing. 

Add sake, and reduce. 

Add kobudashi, and simmer for 20-30 minutes (remove kombu before boiling), skimming from time to time. 

Strain, and obtain 250 g (cc) shrimp stock (add water if short; save for later if too much).

3.

While preparing ebi-dashi shrimp stock, prepare karashi and kabu.
Mix karashi mustard powder and water.
Set aside.

4.

Remove leaves of kabu.
Peel kabu root.

Blanch kabu leaves.
Bring water to boil; from root end, put kabu leaves in briskly boiling water, immediately transfer to cold water once color brightens to stop cooking and preserve vivid green color.

Once cool, drain and squeeze out excess water.

Chop kabu leaves.
Cut kabu root lengthwise (bottom to top) into 4 to 6 sections.

5.

To shrimp stock, put sakekasu and kabu root, bring to boil, and simmer until kabu root softens for about 7 minutes.

6.

In the meantime, take some dashi, and loosen miso.

7.

Add shrimp (and heat through or cook as necessary).
Add miso, and gently mix.

8.

Serve in individual bowls.
Squeeze excess water from kabu leaves once again, and garnish soup.

Top with karashi.
Serve immediately.

<Notes>

• Above I used cooked coon shrimp from a local shrimp shop, and the stock's sodium content is 384 mg per 250 g. When more heads and shells are used, the broth becomes really aromatic but sodium content quickly increases.
• Sakekasu sake lees partially replaces miso. I use 1/2 tsp sakekasu to replace 1 tsp miso with all my miso soup recipes.
• Make sure to squeeze out excess water of blanched/cooled kabu leaves to prevent them from weakening the flavor of the final soup.
• Ready-to-use karashi paste in tubes contains sodium. Opt for karashi powder (zero sodium) if you are watching sodium intake.
• Potassium content of kabu leaves is assumed to be reduced by 45% during blanching and chilling in water.