Miso Soup with Potato, Onion, Ham

Today's Miso Soup is made with potato, onion, and ham. This miso soup is so easy to make with ingredients you already have in your refrigerator and pantry. Ham and onion give rich savory flavor to the soup, so you can just use a convenient instant dashi powder instead of making the Dashi from scratch.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) or vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons miso paste (white or red miso)
• 1 medium-sized potato, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 100g ham, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced (for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin (optional, for sweetness)
• Seaweed (nori) strips for garnish (optional)
• Tofu cubes (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a pot, bring the dashi or vegetable broth to a simmer.
2. Add the diced potato to the simmering broth and cook until the potato is almost tender.
3. Add the sliced onion and diced ham to the pot. Continue simmering until the onion is translucent.
4. In a small bowl, mix miso paste with a few tablespoons of hot broth to dissolve the miso. Add this miso mixture back to the pot and stir well.
5. If using tofu, you can add tofu cubes to the soup at this point.
6. Season the soup with soy sauce and mirin. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste.
7. Allow the soup to simmer for a few more minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
8. Serve the miso soup hot, garnished with sliced green onions and seaweed strips if desired.