Miso Soup with Komatsuna and Potato
みそ汁（小松菜・じゃがいも） · Miso Shiru (Komatsuna, Jagaimo)
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Miso soup is on the table at almost every Japanese preschool lunch, and the vegetables in it change with the season and the menu. This version pairs komatsuna, a mild Japanese mustard green (baby spinach or bok choy leaves work as a substitute), with potato simmered until it is soft enough to break apart on a spoon. The potato gives the broth a mellow sweetness, so even children who are wary of greens tend to drink the whole bowl. Blanching the komatsuna separately and adding it right before serving keeps its color bright and its texture tender rather than stringy.
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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
- 15 gkomatsunaA mild Japanese leafy green (Japanese mustard spinach) with tender stems. Substitute: Spinach or bok choy.
- 45 gpotato
Seasonings
- 150 gbonito and kombu dashiJapanese soup stock made from dried bonito flakes and kombu kelp, the everyday base for soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a light vegetable or chicken stock.
- 4.9 glight rice misoA pale, salty rice miso, the standard everyday miso in Japan. Substitute: Any light, white, or awase (blended) miso.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- komatsuna (こまつな)
- A mild Japanese leafy green (Japanese mustard spinach) with tender stems. Substitute: Spinach or bok choy.
- bonito and kombu dashi (かつお・昆布だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock made from dried bonito flakes and kombu kelp, the everyday base for soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a light vegetable or chicken stock.
- light rice miso (米みそ（淡色辛みそ）)
- A pale, salty rice miso, the standard everyday miso in Japan. Substitute: Any light, white, or awase (blended) miso.
Directions
- 1
Cut the komatsuna into 2 cm lengths and blanch in boiling water.
- 2
Cut the potato into quarter-rounds (icho-giri).
- 3
Bring the dashi to a boil in a pot, add the potato from step 2 and simmer.
- 4
Once the potato is tender, dissolve the miso into the soup, then add the komatsuna from step 1 just before serving.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 40.5 kcal | 81 kcal | 40.5 kcal |
| Protein | 2.1 g | 4.2 g | 2.1 g |
| Fat | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.8 g | 15.6 g | 7.8 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Calcium | 37.5 mg | 75 mg | 37.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 40.5 kcal | 2.1 g | 0.5 g | 7.8 g | 0.9 g | 37.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 81 kcal | 4.2 g | 0.9 g | 15.6 g | 1.8 g | 75 mg | 1.5 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.
