Say yes to Miso Soup

Miso is a super healthy super food that you should definitely try, if you haven't before.

Miso is most commonly used in soup and is a regular at the Japanese dinner table and, in fact, has been directly credited with the high survivor rate of victims of radioactive poisoning in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

(If it can help survivors of the atom bomb dropping, think about what it can do for you.)

Miso is a fermented soy bean paste, but different varieties are made with the addition of barley, brown and white rice, buckwheat and ginger. The different types of miso are colored differently; barley misos are red-brown, white rice misos are white to yellow and the others range in-between however the depth of the color is also dependent on the time it has been fermented, as is the depth of flavor. Nato miso, made with soy and ginger is an un-ground miso which is sweet and salty and delicious on toast, although that is not a traditional use for Nato miso.

In Japanese cuisine miso is not only used for making soups, but is used for flavoring vegetables, meats, rice and noodle dishes. Miso soup is by far the most extensive and popular use of miso and is becoming more popular as people get a taste for the nutritious side-dish. Japanese restaurants the world over serve up millions of bowls of miso soup every year and it can only be doing some good for the world.

Miso is a living food

Miso contains living enzymes which, like pro and pre-biotics, help to balance the bacteria in the intestines and promote healthy digestive function. The enzymes in miso are also known free-radical fighters and help with anti-aging and strengthening the immune system. Miso is also a radioprotective, which accounts for the phenomenon witnessed in the aftermath of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. A daily bowl of miso soup is like a daily multi-vitamin, with B group vitamins, vitamins K and E as well as antioxidants, fiber and essential amino acids.

The older the miso, the more potent the enzymes, so go for the darker blends if health is your main objective. The older, strong flavored misos are fermented for years at a time, while the lighter and more delicately flavored misos are usually only a couple of months old. Most commercially sold miso soup is made with lighter varieties of miso, and it is this kind of miso that is available in miso soup sachets as well.

Like with most things in the kitchen, it's better to make your own miso soup. Here's how.

A basic miso soup recipe

The most basic miso soup is made with only the addition of a few strips of wakame (seaweed) and two or three cubes of silken tofu. The key to preparing miso soup is to not put the miso into boiling water, as this will kill the live enzymes. Putting the miso into the bowl first and then adding hot water is the normal way of making the soup.

For a hearty miso soup recipe that is far superior to any chicken soup and will fight a cold or flu 100x better, try the following:

Ingredient (shop the macrobiotic section at healthmfood stores):

• Wakame
• Fresh Ginger
• Carrot
• Celery
• Silken Tofu (ensure it is not genetically modified, most soy beans are now)
• Mugi Miso (Barley Miso)

Soak the wakame for about ten minutes until it is tender. Bring filtered water to a boil adding thinly sliced ginger, carrots and celery. These ingredients contain potent minerals and infection-fighting power that you want to extract. When the celery and carrot are softened add the wakame (cut into strips) and cubed silken tofu and take off the heat. Let the soup cool a little. Place a tablespoon (or to taste) of miso in each bowl and ladle in the broth once it is not so hot and mix well. You can watch the live enzymes making patterns in the soup, but don’t watch too long or else the soup will get cold.

Voila.

Be warned, miso is expensive but look at it as an investment in your health that could help prevent costly doctor's bills later, not to mention how much better you feel and perform because of its addition to your diet.