This delightful Japanese winter soup is given a vegetarian makeover in this vegan nabe or miso hot pot. It is flavored to the brim and creates the ideal soup foundation for vegan chanko nabe.
Additionally, hot pot is a shared meal. Around a boiling pot of soup, friends and family would assemble while adding pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables to cook. Imagine it as a fondue party.
Unfortunately, because the stock is frequently made with fish or pork, most hot pot dishes are not vegan. But I soon learned how to prepare a vegan variant at home using just a few basic components.
I'll give you the simple recipe so you can cook it yourself, but first let's explore what makes this meal so fantastic.
Vegan Miso Soup Recipe (Serves: 4)
Ingredients
-
2 tsp dark or toasted sesame oil, available in gourmet grocery shops or for purchase online
-
1 tsp chopped garlic
-
1 tsp chopped ginger
-
8 pieces oyster mushrooms
-
8 pieces button mushrooms, sliced
-
1 tsp rice wine vinegar, easily available in gourmet grocery shops or for purchase online
-
1 tbsp soy sauce
-
2 tbsp miso paste, easily available in gourmet grocery shops or for purchase online
-
200 gm bokchoy
-
100 gm tofu, cut into thin long slices, easily available in gourmet grocery shops or for purchase online
-
¼ cup chopped spring onion greens
-
1 tbsp toasted til or sesame seeds
-
2 fresh red chilies, sliced on a bias (optional or per taste)
-
Salt to taste (the soy sauce will add salt too)
For the stock
-
10 dry shitake mushrooms, available in gourmet grocery shops or for purchase online
-
1-inch piece of ginger, crushed
-
½ cup spring onion greens
-
5 garlic pods, crushed
-
1 tsp sugar
-
1 tsp soy sauce
-
6 cups water
Method for the Preparation of Miso Soup:
-
Combine all the stock ingredients in a pot.
-
Over medium heat, add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.
-
For around 30 minutes, turn the heat down to low and slowly simmer the mixture.
-
Shitake mushrooms should be strained, then the heat should be turned off.
-
The remaining vegetables—the ginger, spring onion leaves, and garlic—should be thrown away.
-
This stock can be made a few days in advance and frozen or stored in the refrigerator.
-
Slice the shitake mushrooms you have saved and set them aside.
-
Bok choy's tough stem should be cut, and the leaves should be kept apart.
-
In a pot or wok with a thick bottom, heat the oil.
-
Add the minced ginger and garlic and cook for a little while.
-
Stir-fry the button and oyster mushrooms for two to three minutes after adding them.
-
Fry for a further minute or two before adding the bok choy's crispy stem and sliced shitake mushrooms.
-
Miso paste and 4 tbsp of the prepared stock should be combined thoroughly in a bowl before being added to the fried veggies.
-
The remaining stock should be added, and the soup should be brought to a boil before serving.
-
Miso paste, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce should all be added.
-
Only use salt as necessary.
-
When the soup begins to boil, add the tender bok choy leaves and continue to simmer for an additional one to two minutes.
-
After adding the tofu, simmer for an additional two minutes.
-
Remove from heat, ladle into individual bowls, and top with chopped spring onion leaves, toasted sesame seeds, and red chilies, depending on your tolerance for heat.
-
Serve Hot.
Note: Please exclude the garlic and ginger if you want to make this soup in the Jain style.
