Tofu and miso soup

Serves 4, vegan
If you want a much lighter soup than the one pictured use light soy sauce or salt and a white miso.
Ingredients 100g firm tofu 1 litre (4 cups) dashi 2 tbsp miso 80ml (7 tbsp) Sake 40ml (3 tbsp) mirin 120ml (8 tbsp) soy sauce 50g (2oz) peas or fresh soy beans (edamame) 4 spring onions	I generally use firm tofu all of the time as silken tofu tends to break up too easily. If you shop in an Asian grocer you will find firm tofu. First of all cut your tofu into slices and place it in a bowl. Drizzle over a little of the soy sauce and allow it to marinate as you prepare the soup. For the soup mix the dashi, miso, sake, mirin and remaining soy sauce in a medium sized pan and heat it to a slow simmer. Add the peas or soy beans and simmer for one minute. Arrange the tofu in your warmed soup bowls and pour over the soup. Sprinkle with the chopped spring onions and serve.

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Miso is a salty paste made from the fermentation of soy beans, rice or barley. there are two main types white miso and red miso. The white miso tends to be much sweeter and is the one I prefer but don't worry if you don't know which one to choose (there are many varieties) all types will work fine in the recipes in this book.
Sake is a Japanese rice wine. The quality can vary enormously but for cooking purposes I would buy quite a cheap one to start with. If you like to drink it buy a big bottle.
Mirin is a sweetened sake with a similar taste to a sweet sherry. It is used a lot in Japanese cooking and used in many recipes in this book so it is worth seeking out a bottle. Lots of supermarkets now stock mirin and you will more than likely find it in your local Asian grocer. It can be quite expensive but no more than a good sherry.