Live Miso Soup

This is a staple in my home.  Nori, dulse and arame are seaweeds you can find at your health food store.  Miso is a salty fermented grain product used in Japan as a base for soups.  Being fermented, it is rich in live enzymes as well as beneficial bacteria.  You can vary the type of miso used (barley, rice, white, dark etc.). Feel free to play around with the ingredients, as you can drink Miso on its own. You can enjoy it in the morning as a warm drink or have alongside your lunch or dinner.

3 cups water

2 to 3 dried shitake mushrooms

½ sheet nori, cut with scissors into strips (fold nori and cut on angle with kitchen scissors to form short strips)

Small handful dulse, cut into pieces with scissors

2 Tbsp. dried arame or hikiki seaweed, crushed

2 to 3 Tbsp. unpasteurized miso

½ green onion, finely copped

Sesame seeds

2 to 3 tsp. tahini

Procedure:

Warm water in a medium-sized pot over very low heat until it is just hot to touch.

Turn off heat; add mushrooms and let sit, covered, for approximately 10 minutes, until mushrooms are tender.  Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and chop.

Return mushrooms, plus nori, dulse and arame to the pot and let sit another 5 minutes or so, covered.

Remove ½ cup of broth from the pot and mix with miso until dissolved. Return to pot. Taste and add more miso if necessary.

Serve in individual bowls, topped with green onions and a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Let each person stir 1 tsp. of tahini into their bowl, if desired.

If reheating soup, watch carefully and only let it get warm to touch.