Miso Soup with Fu and Spinach
みそ汁（麩・ほうれん草） · Misoshiru (Fu, Hourensou)
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
This is one of the simplest miso soups on our preschool menu: a bowl of dashi with soft, pillowy fu and tender spinach. Fu is dried wheat gluten, sold as light little cakes that soak up the broth and turn wonderfully soft, so even the youngest children can manage them with a spoon. Blanching the spinach separately and rinsing it under cold water keeps its color bright and takes away any bitterness before it goes into the soup. If you can't find fu at a Japanese grocer, a few cubes of soft tofu make a good stand-in.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 3 gfu (dried wheat gluten cakes)Light, airy dried cakes made from wheat gluten that soak up broth like little sponges in soups. Substitute: Small cubes of bread or plain croutons, or omit.
- 22.5 gspinach
Seasonings
- 150 gdashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 4.5 gmisoFermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- fu (dried wheat gluten cakes) (麩)
- Light, airy dried cakes made from wheat gluten that soak up broth like little sponges in soups. Substitute: Small cubes of bread or plain croutons, or omit.
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- miso (みそ)
- Fermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
Directions
- 1
Cut the spinach into 2 cm lengths and boil in hot water for 2 minutes. Rinse under cold running water to cool, then squeeze out the excess water.
- 2
Bring the dashi stock to a boil in a pot, add the fu, and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.
- 3
Once the fu is soft, stir in the miso until dissolved, then add the spinach from step 1 and mix through.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 25.5 kcal | 51 kcal | 25.5 kcal |
| Protein | 2.4 g | 4.8 g | 2.4 g |
| Fat | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.9 g | 7.8 g | 3.9 g |
| Fiber | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 21 mg | 42 mg | 21 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Potassium | 271.5 mg | 543 mg | 271.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 25.5 kcal | 2.4 g | 0.6 g | 3.9 g | 0.9 g | 0.8 g | 21 mg | 0.8 mg | 271.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 51 kcal | 4.8 g | 1.2 g | 7.8 g | 1.8 g | 1.5 g | 42 mg | 1.5 mg | 543 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
