Cooking recipes

Miso Tomato Soup

There are still a very few tomatoes around, and they are best for cooking at this point. Mind you, this works perfectly well with tinned tomatoes too. Very quick, easy and low calorie; we just wont talk about the salt content. Also good with a few greens thrown in if you have them: a couple of baby bok choy, or a handful of chopped cabbage for that matter.

Mr. Ferdzy came up with this soup a few years ago, although given the simplicity of the ingredients he was treading on a pretty well known path. I made it this week as it was good for stretching out a meal of mixed sauté of leftovers. We were cleaning out the fridge, as we will be away for about a week visiting relatives... see you next week.

4 to 6 servings
20 minutes prep time


2 medium shallots
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon mild vegetable oil
3 large tomatoes (4 cups chopped)
2 cups water
1/4 cup light (shiro) miso

Put a large pot of water on to boil.

Peel and chop the shallots. Peel and mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a small skillet, and cook the shallots until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let cool.

When the water boils, blanch the tomatoes for 1 minutes. Cool them under cold water, and peel them. Chop them finely.

Put the tomatoes into a pot with 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the miso in the remaining 1/2 cup water until smooth.

Add the shallots and garlic to the tomatoes. Add the miso, and bring back up to a simmer. Serve at once.