Miso Soup with Napa Cabbage and Sweet Potato
みそ汁（白菜・さつまいも） · Misoshiru
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Miso soup is on the table at almost every Japanese school lunch, and the vegetables in it change with the seasons. This version pairs napa cabbage, which turns silky and mild when simmered, with sweet potato, which lends the broth a gentle natural sweetness that children love. The napa cabbage is cut into small squares so it sits easily on a little spoon, and the sweet potato is cut a bit thick so it holds its shape and does not fall apart in the pot. With only a few ingredients and a simple bonito and kombu dashi, it comes together in minutes.
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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
- 22.5 gnapa cabbage
- 15 gJapanese sweet potato (satsumaimo)A purple-skinned, pale-yellow-fleshed sweet potato that is sweeter, drier, and fluffier than orange varieties. Substitute: Any sweet potato.
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
- Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo) (さつまいも)
- A purple-skinned, pale-yellow-fleshed sweet potato that is sweeter, drier, and fluffier than orange varieties. Substitute: Any sweet potato.
- 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 napa cabbage into 1 cm squares. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into thick quarter-rounds.
- 2
Bring the dashi to a boil in a pot, add the vegetables from step 1, and simmer.
- 3
Once the vegetables are tender, dissolve the miso into the soup.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 34.5 kcal | 69 kcal | 34.5 kcal |
| Protein | 1.5 g | 3 g | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6.6 g | 13.2 g | 6.6 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Calcium | 25.5 mg | 51 mg | 25.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 34.5 kcal | 1.5 g | 0.5 g | 6.6 g | 0.9 g | 25.5 mg | 0.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 69 kcal | 3 g | 0.9 g | 13.2 g | 1.8 g | 51 mg | 0.9 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.
