I made this all by myself!

In the interest of eating more healthfully and locally, I decided to try my hand again at making miso soup.  The first time I tried, things didn't go exactly as planned.  I didn't quite know what I was doing - I accidentally bought natto instead of tofu at the supermarket and I didn't know the importance of dashi to the soup.  So, I basically had miso paste dissolved in hot water.  Bleck!  That didn't taste anything like what you get in a restaurant!

After a little research and reflection, now seemed like a good time to give it another go.  There is a great website for kids (and adults...cough, cough) about Japan that has a really simple recipe for miso soup.  This evening, I gave it another go, and the results were much more satisfying!  I was a little worried about finding the dried bonito flakes.  I knew they would be in the store, I just wasn't sure what they looked like!  In case you are wondering, bonito = a kind of fish.  Here are some other kinds of fish you will see in the supermarket.  I don't know what any of them are - except for the Healthy Jellyfish in a bag.  I don't know your thoughts on the subject, but my last encounter with a jellyfish was not healthy at all!

I was quite happy to find my dried fish flakes with little inconvienience!  I also found my tofu, and some lovely little mushrooms that I thought would be a nice addition.  I purchased some green onions too, but they were kind of expensive!  I wanted some instant pudding (not for the miso!), but alas, it was not to be found.  My shopping life is definitely upside down!

It was remarkably easy to make the dashi once I got home - and it didn't make my house reek!  Then, I just tossed in the tofu and mushrooms and let them simmer for a little bit, and then added the miso paste.  You don't want to let the miso get too hot, because it will kill all the good stuff in there.  Then, I garnished my bowl of miso soup with green onions and ate it.  It was quite delicious!  I followed my miso soup with a main course of chips.  Oh, well.  One cannot be healthy all the time!

I was going to write something else, but now I've forgotten what that was...so, I guess I'll end here!