Miso Soup with Vegetables

Directions

1. Put the miso, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and 1 cup water in a food processor or a large blender. Cover and process or blend until smooth, scraping down the inside of the canister at least once.
2. Stir the miso mixture into 4 additional cups water in a medium saucepan. Add the tofu, mushrooms, pea shoots, and scallions; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the sesame oil and soy sauce before serving.

Tip: If you like more texture, finely mince the garlic and ginger but don’t put them in the food processor or blender. Instead, add them with the tofu in step 2.

Tip: If fresh shiitake mushrooms are not available, soak 4 large dried shiitakes with warm tap water in a small bowl for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Strain the liquid through cheesecloth to remove grit. Use this soaking liquid, reducing the amount of water in the saucepan by an equivalent amount.

Tip: Substitute baby spinach or stemmed watercress for the pea shoots.