Easy One-Pot Miso Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 quarts water
• 1/2 ounce kombu
• 1/2 ounce grated bonito flakes
• 6 tablespoons white or red miso paste, or a mix
• 8 ounces firm silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, optional
• 1/2 ounce dried wakame seaweed
• 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced if necessary
• A handful of small live cockles, optional
• 4 whole scallions, thinly sliced, optional

Directions

1. Add the water, kombu, and bonito flakes to a large saucepan, then bring it up to a boil on high heat. Lower the heat until the liquid is just barely bubbling, and let it cook for 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes, then pour the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer. Toss the solids.
2. Pour the broth into a medium saucepan and place it over low heat so it stays hot, not boiling. Set a fine-mesh strainer into the broth, spoon in the miso paste, and nudge the paste through with the back of a spoon. Anything coarse left behind can go.
3. Add the tofu, wakame, mushrooms, and cockles, if you’re using them. Let the soup heat gently without coming to a boil, until the add-ins are warmed through and the wakame is rehydrated, about 5 minutes. Finish with scallions, if you’re using them, and serve immediately.