Morning miso soup with tofu and wakame
A broth of vegan dashi (kombu seaweed and dried mushrooms) in which a spoonful of miso is dissolved, with cubes of tofu and a few shreds of rehydrated wakame seaweed. Simple, deep, never boiled after adding the miso to preserve its living fragrance.
A broth of vegan dashi (kombu seaweed and dried mushrooms) in which a spoonful of miso is dissolved, with cubes of tofu and a few shreds of rehydrated wakame seaweed. Simple, deep, never boiled after adding the miso to preserve its living fragrance.
Listen well, you who seek awakening on an empty stomach: one does not meditate on emptiness! Before the rooster of Hara has finished its cry, I dissolve my miso in the kombu broth — above all, above all, never let it boil, or you kill its soul like a lazy disciple kills his kōan. A little tofu, a strand of seaweed, and you drink this in silence down to the last grain. Mount Fuji mocks those who waste a bowl of soup.
- •Dried kombu seaweed — a piece the size of a hand (dashi broth base, umami)
- •Dried shiitake mushrooms — two or three (vegetal umami)
- •Miso paste — one ladle (ferment, salt, depth)
- •Fresh tofu — half a block (protein, softness)
- •Dried wakame seaweed — a handful (iodized greenness)
Morning miso soup with tofu and wakame
A broth of vegan dashi (kombu seaweed and dried mushrooms) in which a spoonful of miso is dissolved, with cubes of tofu and a few shreds of rehydrated wakame seaweed. Simple, deep, never boiled after adding the miso to preserve its living fragrance.
Why this dish? At Shōin-ji, Hakuin and his monks began each day with this soup before dawn meditation. Frugal, warm, comforting: it is the pillar of Zen monastic food, taken in silence in the ritual bowl.
Listen well, you who seek awakening on an empty stomach: one does not meditate on emptiness! Before the rooster of Hara has finished its cry, I dissolve my miso in the kombu broth — above all, above all, never let it boil, or you kill its soul like a lazy disciple kills his kōan. A little tofu, a strand of seaweed, and you drink this in silence down to the last grain. Mount Fuji mocks those who waste a bowl of soup.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried kombu seaweed — a piece the size of a hand (dashi broth base, umami)
- Dried shiitake mushrooms — two or three (vegetal umami)
- Miso paste — one ladle (ferment, salt, depth)
- Fresh tofu — half a block (protein, softness)
- Dried wakame seaweed — a handful (iodized greenness)
Ingredients
- Kombu — 10 g (dashi base)
- Dried shiitake — 3 pieces (umami)
- Water — 800 ml (liquid)
- Miso (preferably unpasteurized) — 3 tbsp (fermented seasoning)
- Firm tofu — 150 g, cubed (garnish)
- Dried wakame — 1 tbsp (garnish)
Method
- Soak kombu and shiitake in cold water for at least 30 minutes (ideally overnight).
- Heat gently without boiling, remove kombu just before boiling, let shiitake simmer for 10 minutes then remove (they can be sliced and returned).
- Rehydrate wakame in a little water, drain.
- Off high heat, dissolve miso in a ladle of hot broth, then return to the pot.
- Add tofu and wakame, reheat without ever boiling, serve immediately.
How it was made : Zen monastic dashi is strictly vegan (shōjin): no bonito flakes as in secular dashi, but kombu and mushrooms. Miso was often made at the temple itself, in large jars, and fermented for months.
The contemporary twist : A pinch of toasted sesame seeds crushed in a mortar just before serving, as a nod to the brush and inkstone of the master calligrapher.
Hakuin · Charactorium