Japanese · side, breakfast
Classic Miso Soup with Tofu and Wakame
Video by Just One Cookbook on YouTube · Open on YouTube
- Low carb (6 g net carbs) but not keto: 31% of the energy is from fat, and keto meals get about 60% or more
- Vegan if you leave out the dashi
- Vegetarian with a swap for the dashi
- Gluten-free ingredients
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Contains: Fish, Soy. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.
A light soup of fermented miso, tofu and seaweed: about 70 kcal a bowl with no added sugar. It is salty (about 1,200 mg sodium a bowl), so pair it with low-salt dishes; kombu-only dashi makes it plant-based.
The printable card is ink-friendly, fits on one page and has a QR code back to this recipe.
Ingredients 5
Method
Tap a time to watch that step in the video.
- Make dashi: put 4 cups of water and the kombu in a saucepan (soak 30 minutes to overnight if you have time). Heat slowly over medium-low and lift out the kombu just before the water boils so it does not turn slimy or bitter. 0:41
- Add a cup of katsuobushi, bring back to the boil, simmer 30 seconds, then turn off the heat and let the flakes sink for about 10 minutes. Strain. Shortcut: simmer 2 dashi packets in 4 cups of water for 2–3 minutes instead. 1:13
- Bring the dashi to a gentle simmer, turn off the heat and dissolve 4–5 tablespoons of miso through a strainer or with a whisk. Taste and add a little more miso if needed, or dilute with dashi if it is too strong. 2:06
- Add the cubed tofu after the miso so it stays intact, then stir in the dried wakame. Reheat gently until hot but never let it boil, which dulls the flavour and aroma. 2:34
- Ladle into bowls and top with thinly sliced green onion. 3:16
Tip. Miso is salty, so start with 4 tablespoons and taste. Dashi keeps 5 days in the fridge or 2 weeks frozen; add the miso only to the portion you are serving. Avoid miso with dashi already added.
The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.
One serve gives you 1 of 4
Where the energy comes from one serve
- Net carbs 35%
- Protein 33%
- Fat 32%
For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here
Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more
Vitamin K Source12%
14 µg a serve, mostly from green onion (54%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.
Folate Source11%
45 µg a serve, mostly from soft tofu (49%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.
Selenium Source11%
5.8 µg a serve, mostly from soft tofu (77%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.
Omega-3 Source11%
0.2 g a serve, mostly from soft tofu (59%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.
Magnesium Source10%
40 mg a serve, mostly from soft tofu (34%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.
Show the other 10
Zinc9%
0.9 mg a serve, mostly from miso (63%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.
Iron7%
1.2 mg a serve, mostly from soft tofu (45%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.
Potassium5%
250 mg a serve, mostly from dashi (55%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.
Calcium4%
47 mg a serve, mostly from soft tofu (34%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.
Vitamin B64%
0.1 mg a serve, mostly from miso (57%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.
Vitamin C1%
0.9 mg a serve, mostly from green onion (76%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.
Vitamin E1%
0.1 mg a serve, mostly from dried wakame seaweed (77%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.
Vitamin B121%
0 µg a serve, mostly from miso (100%). Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.
Vitamin A0%
3.9 µg a serve, mostly from green onion (48%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.
Vitamin D0%
0 µg a serve. Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.
Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works
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Recipe and video by Just One Cookbook; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.