Health Soup

This is a recipe for a very big batch, because it freezes well; in addition to death and taxes, we can be confident of future illness. If you want less soup, halve the recipe. If the sick person likes noodles when sick, I add a single serving of rice noodles for each serving, in the last few minutes of warming it.

Ingredients

Dashi

• 1 package kombu (about 2 ounces, which is the size of a package)
• 4 quarts water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 ½ cups dried bonito flakes
• ½ teaspoon chile flakes
• ¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms

Rest of soup

• 5 tablespoons miso paste
• 3 cups chopped greens, like broccoli rabe, kale or stemmed collards
• ½ cup chopped scallions or spring onion
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 block silken tofu, cut in half horizontally then into squares
• 4 cups chopped cilantro, or combination cilantro and basil
• 1 lemon

6 to 8 servings

Preparation

1. Make dashi, either by following these instructions or by making 4 quarts instant. For homemade: Wipe kombu with a damp cloth, and break into a few pieces. Put in a pot with water. Bring almost to a boil, then turn off heat; remove kombu with tongs.
2. Add garlic, bonito flakes, chile and shiitakes. Bring to a boil, and let boil 30 seconds. Turn off heat. Let sit for 10 minutes. Drain through a colander into a bowl. Put dashi back into pot.
3. Add miso paste, and bring to a boil. Add greens and scallions or onion. Cook 3 minutes. Add fish sauce, salt and sugar. Lower to a simmer. Add tofu. Cook at bare simmer 10 minutes. Turn off. Add herbs.
4. Just before serving, squeeze lemon juice into soup, to the sourness that you like.

30 minutes