Living in the year-round dry and temperate San Francisco weather, I sometimes forget how hot the summer weather can be in most parts of the world. This past week, however, I was reminded of the true Japanese summer as my family spent a week on the East Coast where it gets uncomfortably hot and humid. I suddenly found myself craving for some cold soup, specifically this special bowl of Cold Miso Soup called Hiyajiru (冷や汁). It’s special because it’s rare that a bowl of cold soup can be both satisfyingly filling and light. But that’s the magic of hiyajiru. Let’s find out more!
Why You Should Make This Cold Miso Soup
Cold, refreshing, and nutritious! Not only is it a tasty soup, it is also chock full of vitamins, probiotic, fiber, Omega-3 fatty acid, protein and all. What a terrific wholesome meal to enjoy on hot summer days!Super easy to make as the soup repurposes your leftovers. Versatile with different add-on toppings!Vegan-friendly. Use Kombu Dashi and add pan-fried tofu or mushrooms as toppings!
What is Hiyajiru – A Regional Dish from Miyazaki, Japan
Hiyajiru (冷や汁) is chilled miso-flavored soup featuring summer ingredients such as cucumber, shiso (perilla leaf), and myoga ginger as well as grilled fish and tofu for proteins. Typically served with or served over steamed white rice, this cold soup is a perfect dish to restore your appetite and overcome the summer heat in Japan. This dish has been around in Miyazaki prefecture in southwestern Japan since the late 12th century (Kamakura era). It was eaten by farmers working in the fields or eaten as a combat ration at the battle front. Since it can be made very quickly by using leftover grilled fish or tofu, we often enjoy cold miso soup as a simple, no-frills meal in the heat of summer.
How to Cook Cold Miso Soup
Ingredients You’ll Need
Dashi (Japanese soup stock) – Use Kombu Dashi for vegan/vegetarian. In this recipe, I use a dashi packet method to make a quick dashi. Read here to learn more about this Japanese soup stock. Miso (Japanese fermented soybean paste) – It can be any type of miso. Feel free to experiment and use a variety of miso as each one yields a different flavor profile for your hiyajiru.White sesame seedsTofu – Cold tofu (yes, we can eat it out of the package) or Teriyaki TofuJapanese-style grilled salmon – Salted Salmon, Teriyaki Salmon, and Miso Salmon. Cucumber – Use Japanese or Persian cucumber that has less seeds in the middle. If you can’t find it, use English cucumber but remove the seeds with a spoon after cutting in half vertically. I do not recommend using American cucumber.Shiso (Perilla leaves) – Shiso is a quintessential Japanese herb. For substitute, you can use green onions.
Substitutes: Think of this cold soup as a blank canvas. If you don’t like salmon, try other types of grilled fish or shrimp. You can reach for any leftover grilled chicken or any cooked protein too.
Overview: Cooking Steps
Make dashi (Japanese soup stock) and chill it until ready to serve.Toast the miso in the toaster oven until slightly charred. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.Grind the sesame seeds and add the toasted miso. Gradually add chilled dashi to the sesame miso mixture and make sure there are no lumps.Add sliced cucumber, tofu cubes, grilled salmon, shiso leaves, and additional white sesame seeds. Serve it with or over the steamed rice.
3 Tips to Make Delicious Cold Miso Soup
Toast the miso until lightly charred. This gives a nice layer of flavors to the miso. If you don’t have time, you can skip this step, but do give it a try at least once. You’d notice how much flavor toasted miso brings to the overall taste.Salt the cucumber to withdraw the moisture. This helps the cucumber to become crisp, similar to pickled cucumber. Mix the miso and sesame seeds with a small portion of the dashi. The goal is to dissolve the miso paste completely before adding more liquid to the bowl. It’s very hard to dissolve a chunk of paste with a large volume of liquid.
What to Serve with Cold Miso Soup
This cold miso soup itself is very well-balanced and makes a fine meal to enjoy with a bowl of steamed rice. For a more elaborate meal, you can always serve it with one or two more side dishes such as:
Blistered Shishito Peppers with Ginger Soy SauceEdamame (Perfectly Cooked and Seasoned)Miso Glazed EggplantYakitori Style Grilled VegetablesOkra Ohitashi (Japanese Okra Salad)
Tableware from Musubi Kiln
I’ve partnered with a great ceramic online shop from Japan called Musubi Kiln. You will get 10% off with a coupon code JUSTONECOOKBOOK for your purchase. In this post, I’ve used:
Hibino Summum Mino Ware Kobachi Bowl S
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