As the weather cools down in Sydney, it feels like soup time.
Miso soup is sometimes treated in Australia as a small side dish, but in Japan, it is much more than that. It is one of the most familiar parts of Japanese home cooking and, for many people, part of everyday life.
In Japan, miso soup is enjoyed throughout the year, not only in winter. One of the beautiful things about it is how easily it changes with the seasons. It is simple, humble, and endlessly adaptable.
Why miso soup can be so satisfying
Because miso is a fermented food, miso soup offers more than just comfort. In Japanese home cooking, it often includes seasonal vegetables, seaweeds and soy products such as tofu or aburaage, bringing extra flavour, variety and nourishment.
That is one reason a simple bowl of miso soup can become such a satisfying part of the meal. It can be light and delicate, or more substantial depending on what you add.
In Australia, miso soup is often served in a very minimal way, with just a few cubes of tofu and a little wakame. But at home in Japan, we often add seasonal ingredients to make it more complete and satisfying.
Why autumn is a wonderful time for miso soup
Autumn is a lovely time to make miso soup with vegetables.
At this time of year, ingredients such as pumpkin, daikon, sweet potato, mushrooms and leafy greens bring warmth, sweetness and texture to the bowl. They make miso soup feel more seasonal and more grounding, while still keeping the gentle simplicity that makes it so appealing.
This is one of the joys of Japanese home cooking: using what is in season and letting simple ingredients shine.
A simple pumpkin miso soup is a lovely way to enjoy seasonal ingredients in autumn.
Some lovely vegetables to add to miso soup in autumn
- pumpkin
- daikon
- sweet potato
- turnip
- carrot
- leek
- onion
- shiitake and other Asian mushrooms
- cabbage
- wombok
- cauliflower
- broccoli
- silverbeet
- kale
A few autumn miso soup combination idea
If you are wondering where to start, here are a few simple combinations that work beautifully:
- pumpkin
- daikon with aburaage
- wombok with wakame
- kale with toasted ground sesame
- sweet potato and onion
- leek and potato
- shiitake with cabbage
Pumpkin is a lovely autumn addition to miso soup. It adds natural sweetness, beautiful colour, and a soft texture that works so well with miso. Daikon gives a lighter, cleaner flavour. Kale can also be surprisingly good in miso soup, especially with a little sesame.
Some autumn ingredients for miso soup, from top left clockwise: kale with toasted ground sesame, wombok and wakame, pumpkin, and daikon with aburaage and shallot
Learn to make your own miso soup
If you’d like to explore this more at home, my upcoming Japanese Beginner Cooking Class includes miso soup made with authentic miso with live cultures, as well as simple do’s and don’ts to help you get the best flavour from miso. And for those wanting a broader foundation, my Japanese Basic Intensive combines my Beginner and Izakaya classes — a chance to build core Japanese cooking skills in one full day. or Stay tuned to my online Japanese cooking class!
A few moments from one of my classes. Miso soup may look simple, but the way you handle the ingredients can make a real difference to flavour, texture and nutritional value.
DO YOU NEED HEALTHY VEGAN COOKING INSPIRATIONS?
Do you know I run a cooking school in Sydney?
Please come and join my healthy Japanese superfoods cooking class in Sydney. We offer vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free cooking classes that are filled with tasty and easy recipes. You will learn not only cooking skills and tips but also how to use Japanese ancient wisdom on a daily basis for your health, energy, and beauty! Don’t be afraid to make it a group event, corporate team building cooking classes, hens party cooking classes and other group classes are available, the more the merrier! Join my cooking class from HERE or leave me an inquiry HERE.
You don’t live in Sydney?
Don’t worry, there are two ways to learn Japanese cooking with me.
NEW Japanese online cooking classes coming soon! More information to come, subscribe HERE so you don’t miss out!
Plant Based Cookbooks
If you want to cook more easy and tasty Japanese vegan meals using Japanese superfoods – real key for Japanese health, please grab my vegan cookbook “Japanese Superfoods” or “Top 3 Japanese Superfoods for Natural Weightloss” or even better, you can have “Japanese Superfoods combo deal” to master Japanese Superfoods.
