This recipe uses dashi, which can be used not only as a soup broth but also as a dipping sauce or a sauce for rice and noodles. It is made with kombu a dried seaweed and dried bonito flakes. You should find the ingredients in the major supermarkets or in Asian markets.
Ingredients
For the Dashi
- 4-inch piece of kombu
- ½ ounce dried bonito flakes
For the Soup
- 2 skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 8 pieces
- 4 dried wild mushrooms, soaked overnight, then strained and finely chopped
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced into matchsticks
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves
- 1½ cups cubed tofu (optional)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons miso paste
- 2 scallions, diagonally sliced
- 1 kaffir lime leaf, finely chopped
- Fresh bread or corn on the cob, to serve
How to Make It
- Soak the kombu 30 minutes in cold water, then drain. Put in a pot, cover with 2 cups cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Just before the water boils, remove the kombu using a slotted spoon. Add the bonito flakes and return to a boil. As soon as the water returns to a boil, remove from the heat and let stand about 10 minutes until the bonito flakes sink to the bottom, then let the broth stand for 5 minutes longer. Strain the broth into a clean pan and discard the bonito flakes and kombu. You should have 2 cups of the dashi broth.
- Put the chicken, mushrooms, onion and carrots into the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to low and simmer 5 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the juices run clear which the thickest part of the chicken is pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Add the spinach and tofu, if using, and simmer 2 minutes until the spinach is softened.
- Put the miso paste in a small bowl, add a ladleful of the soup from the pan and stir until blended. Gently stir this back into the soup. Remove from the heat and add the scallions and the lime leaf. Serve with fresh bread or corn on the cob.
