MORNING SOUP

1 1/2 c Water
1/2 Umeboshi plum
2 Small shiitake mushrooms

In evening:

1. Soak all the above ingredients in a pot overnight.

2. Cover the pot with a bamboo sushi mat. DO NOT cover pot with tight lid.

In the morning:

1. Remove and discard stem from shiitake. Finely chop the shiitake cap.

2. Finely chop the umeboshi plum.

3. Put the chopped shiitake and umeboshi plum back in the soaking water.

4. Bring to boil uncovered, over low flame.

5. Simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Add the following ingredients:
1/4 c. Daikon, finely grated
1/4 c. Carrots, finely grated

7. Simmer daikon and carrots over low flame for 3 minutes.

8. Turn off flame.

9. Add 1 c. chopped watercress or bok choy (mostly leaves, some stems), or some other leafy green vegetable.

10. Garnish with:
1/4 c. Daikon, finely grated
1/4 c. Carrots, finely grated

11. Eat one whole sheet of toasted Nori with this soup.


NOTE: This soup is to be eaten 1/2 hour before soft grains and greens.





BASIC MISO SOUP (once or twice a day, bowl or cup)

Purchase good quality miso, fermented over at least two summers. The preferred miso is the Kushi Yamak Barley Miso (which is fermented for two years). For everyday use in the standard macrobiotic diet, barley miso (mugi miso) is best for variation but you may also use soybean miso (hatcho miso) or brown rice miso (genmai miso). You may also occasionally season the soup with a good quality shoyu/soy sauce.

1. Soak some wakame ( 1/4 to 1/2 inch piece per person) in cold water for about five minutes and cut it into small pieces.

2. Add the soaked wakame to fresh, cold water and bring to boil. Meanwhile, cut some vegetables into small pieces.

3. Add the vegetables to the boiling broth and boil all together for three to five minutes until the vegetables are soft and edible.

4. Dilute miso ( 1/2 - 1 level teaspoon per cup of broth) in a little water, add to soup, and simmer for three to four minutes on a low flame. Please NOTE that it is important not to bring the soup to a boil once the miso has been added.

You may occasionally season with shoyu/soy sauce instead of miso. Again, simmer three or four minutes on a low flame after you add the soy sauce to the soup.


NOTE:
- Please simmer the soup for three to four minutes after you add miso to the broth.

- Please vary the type of vegetables every day.

- Garnish the soup with small amounts of finely chopped fresh parsley or scallions before serving.

- Please try to cook fresh soup every day and avoid using too many leftovers.

- Occasionally, a small portion of shitake mushrooms (soaked and finely chopped beforehand) may be added and cooked with the other vegetables.

- Include leafy greens (kale, collards, watercress, etc.) often. Add them toward the end of cooking.

- You may occasionally use leftover grain or beans to make thicker soup.

- Sliced tofu or mochi may be used occasionally before adding the miso.





AUTUMN MILLET AND VEGETABLE SOUP

1/3 c millet
1-1/3 c water
1 pinch of sea salt
1/4 onion, cubed
1/2 carrot, diced
1/3 c small winter squash (butternut, hokkaido, or delicata) trimmed of woody areas and cubed
1 tsp white miso
toasted nori, cut into 1/4 " strips
1 tsp sliced scallions

1. Wash millet by rinsing in cold water 2-3 times. Drain well.

2. Place in soup pot with bay leaves. Add enough water to cover. Bring to boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about 30-40 minutes. Add cold water to the grain as it expands and absorbs liquid (know as the Shocking Method).

3. As the millet becomes creamy, add salt and onions. Cook for about 15 minutes.
4. Add carrots and squash and cook another 5 minutes.
5. Add celery and cook a few minutes longer.
6. Finish by adding the miso, dissolved in 1/2 cup of soup broth. Leave on heat for 1 minute before serving.
7. Garnish with sliced scallions and strips of nori.





JAPANESE UDON NOODLES IN GINGERED SHOYU BROTH

1 1/2 c water
2" strip kombu, rinsed
1 small dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed
1/4 packages of udon noodles (to be cooked separately from the broth)
1 tsp Shoyu
2-3 drops ginger juice
1 tsp sliced scallions to garnish

1. Boil kombu and shiitakes in water for about 25 - 30 minutes to make a tasty soup broth.

2. Remove kombu and shiitakes. Cut off and discard tough, woody stem from shiitakes. Slice both shiitakes and kombu julienne style. Return to broth. Season with tamari and ginger.

3. Meanwhile, cook udon in rapidly boiling water for 10-12 minutes. Remove when tender, strain and place in a serving bowl.

4. After broth has simmered with seasonings for a couple of minutes, pour over udon noodles. Garnish with scallions.





CHICKPEA AND BURDOCK SOUP

1/2 c chickpeas, soaked 6-8 hours or overnight, drained
1" strip kombu, rinsed
1/3 c yellow onions, cubed
2" pieces of burdock root, cut in rounds
1 tsp white miso
2 c water
grated rind of 2 lemons
1 tsp minced parsley

1. Place chickpeas in pressure cooker with kombu, bay leaves and enough water to cover. Bring to pressure and cook about 45 minutes. Take off heat and let pressure release.

2. Remove cover. Mash up half of the chickpeas, leaving the rest whole, to give the soup a creamy and heatty consistency.

3. Meanwhile, sauté onions in oil until glazed and sweet, about 10 minutes. Add burdock and sauté an additional 10 minutes.

4. Add vegetables to chickpeas, along with garlic and more water to stock to attain desired consistency.

5. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 c of soup broth to white miso and add back to soup. Leave on heat for 1 minute, then turn off heat.

6. Finish by adding lemon rind and garnish with parsley.





AZUKI BEAN AND DULSE SOUP WITH BAKED MOCHI

1/2 c azuki beans, soaked at least 4 hours
1 Tbl dulse seaweed, rinsed
1/4 c onion, cubed
4 drops toasted sesame oil
1 tsp Shoyu, or dark miso (barley or “mugi”) dissolved in 1/2 c. soup broth
2"x 2" mochi to garnish, cut in small cubes and baked at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.
1 tsp small daikon, grated
1 tsp sliced scallions

1. Drain azuki beans and discard the rinse water. Put the azuki beans in a pot with the dulse seaweed. Add fresh water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer. Add cold water throughout the cooking as the beans swell and absorb the water (this is called the Shocking Method of cooking). Cook 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until creamy.

2. Sauté onions in oil until sweet and glazed, about 10-15 minutes.

3. When beans are soft, add onions and more water to attain desired soup consistency. Simmer another 10 minutes. Add tamari or miso and leave over heat for 1 minute to activate the enzymes.

4. Remove from heat and garnish with baked mochi, grated daikon and scallions.





WINTER SQUASH SOUP WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

4 drops toasted sesame oil
1/3 c yellow onion, cubed
1/2 c winter squash (butternut, kobacha, or hokkaido) trimmed of hard woody areas, seeded and cubed
1 pinch sea salt
2 c water
3 drops ginger juice (Optional)
1 tsp roasted pumpkin seeds

1. Sauté onions in sesame oil until glazed and sweet, about 10 minutes. Add squash, bay leaves, sea salt and enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until squash is tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Remove from heat. Strain vegetables from stock. Purée the vegetables in a food processor, as you slowly add the stock.

3. Return to heat. Add miso, dissolved in 1/2 cup soup broth, and cumin or ginger juice if desired.

4. Leave over heat for 1-2 minutes to activate the miso.

5. Remove from heat and add soymilk. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds.





AZUKI BEAN AND HATO MUGI (JOB'S TEARS) SOUP

1/2 c azuki beans
1/2 T pearl barley (hato mugi)
1/2" kombu
1 medium shiitake mushroom
4 slices fresh lotus root
4 c water

Soak all of the above ingredients overnight. In the morning mince kombu, shiitake, and lotus root. Combine all ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce flame to low, cook 20 minutes uncovered. Remove foam as it appears. Cover and cook 1 hour.

1/4 c grated parsnips
1/3 c shredded green cabbage
1/3 c chopped dandelion leaves
3 t shoyu/soy sauce
1 t sea salt
1 t olive oil
1/4 c diced burdock
1 t scallions
1 t parsley

Place olive oil in pan over low flame, sauté burdock for 10 minutes. Add parsnips and cook 5 minutes. Add to beans.

Add cabbage to beans and cook 10 minutes. Add sea salt and cook 5 minutes. Add shoyu and cook 5 minutes with the lid ajar. Add dandelion leaves and turn off flame. Garnish with scallions and parsley.





OTHER SOUP SUGGESTIONS

- Squash soup: Cut squash into small pieces and cook in water until soft. Season with two pinches of sea salt or dash of shoyu/soy sauce. You may also cook until soft, purée in a hand mill and cook with seasoning for three or four minutes on a low flame.

- Millet soup with squash (or carrots, onions or cabbage) using fresh or leftover millet.

- Barley soup with vegetables.

- Grain-Vegetable Soup: add freshly cooked or leftover grain to basic miso soup.

- Bean-Vegetable Soup: add freshly cooked or leftover beans to basic miso soup.

- Tofu and Vegetable Soup

- Daikon and Greens Vegetable Soup

- Noodle soup with vegetables.

- Fish soup, using white meat fish and vegetables.

-Soup seasoning suggestions: miso, shoyu/soy sauce, or sea salt: to be used in moderation to create a delicious but light taste.