Asian Minestrone with Fish

Lately, I have been cooking soup using dashi – the basic Japanese broth. This broth is made of seaweed and dried fish flakes. It only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to make this Japanese broth, which uses a simple method. I love this broth because it is healthy and makes it easy to create a soup.  Japan is surrounded by ocean waters, so it is not surprising that it’s cooking is based on kelp ,
(kombu) and  fish bones(bonito fish flakes). However, dashi broth is not for soup only. The Japanese kitchen uses this broth for most of its recipes – from soup to stir-fried dishes or dressings, you name it.  It provides the backbone to the Japanese cuisine. There are many ways to make dashi broth using various ingredients, but for the basic broth, there is just about three basic dashi broths that every cook needs to know. I am sharing these broth recipes today, which also uses the broth to make vegetable soup. I added fish to this broth recipe, but by using the same method of making this soup broth, tofu or just vegetables can be substituted for vegans.

Ingredients for making dashi broth:
1 piece of konbu (just about 5 inches in length)
5 cups water
A handful of dried bonito flakes

Directions:
In a pot, soak the konbu with 5 cups of water for 1 hour. After one hour, place the pot over low-medium heat and bring to just simmering. Remove the konbu (at this point add 1/2 cup of cold water and the fish flakes). Bring the broth back to simmering. Turn the heat off.  Let the bonito flakes settle to the bottom of the saucepan. Strain the dashi through a fine sieve lined with a piece of paper towel (this broth is ready for making soup).

 

 

Ingredients for the vegetarian dashi broth:
Omit the bonito flakes. Soak about 3 dried shitake mushrooms.
I always make this Dashi by using kelp, shitake mushrooms, and bonito flakes. I like it this way because it gives more flavor to the broth. You can experiment for yourself to create your own version of dashi broth because it is worth it.
Other ingredients for the soup:
5 cups dashi broth
Two 4 oz. of cod fillets or any white fish, cut into cubes
1 tbs olive oil downtime
2 shallots, finely chopped
Fresh ginger, about 1 tsp
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 cup daikon, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup Napa cabbage, finely sliced
1 cup kale, chopped
1 cup white cabbage
1 tsp salt
4 tbs miso paste (either dark or white)

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large sauce pan in low heat. Add chopped shallots and ginger. Cook until soft and fragrant.

Add the carrots and daikon. Sauté until soft. Follow with kale and white cabbage.

  Add the dashi broth and bring to boil.

Simmer and add fish and the Napa cabbage.

 Take out about 1/2 cup of broth and mix the miso paste until dissolved.

Pour the miso paste into the soup and turn the heat off. Now the soup is ready to serve.