Miso shiru, or fermented soy bean soup, is made from niban dashi and miso paste. Miso paste can be found at most Oriental supermarkets and comes in a variety of flavours, such as akamiso (saltier and darker brownish-red, with a strong flavour) and genmaimiso (brown rice miso, which is more nutritious). The most popular type of miso is shiromiso, which is pale brown-yellow and has a mild taste. This is probably the type you’ll find in restaurants in the West. If you go to Japan, however, the type of miso soup depends on the region you’re in. For example, akamiso is found in the prefectures of Aichi, Mie, and Gifu.

All you need is 2 1/2 cups of dashi and 4 tbsp of miso. Simply heat the dashi, but avoid boiling. Place the miso into a strainer, and dissolve in the dashi, straining through to avoid lumps.

Pretty easy, huh? To finish off, you can add small cubes of tofu and finely sliced green onions. Vegetables can also be added, such as slices of potato or finely sliced onion, but these should be added before the miso as they will take longer to cook.

Always add the tofu and green onion at the end, right before serving. This is because they are both quite delicate in flavour and shape.