A steamy bowl of miso soup always leaves one satisfied. Rife with a rich, umami flavor, the silky broth has a taste and feel that soothes the soul. A swirl of miso paste in hot water is enough to make the dish taste delicious, but miso soup is even more comforting with the addition of onions and potatoes.
Simple miso soup is often bulked up with tofu and minced green onions, but potatoes and yellow onions are great replacements that lend the dish a heartier feel. Like tofu, potatoes are naturally mild, allowing them to soak in the flavors of whatever you’d like them to. When boiled, the tender potatoes absorb the savoriness of miso soup; their insides turn smooth and creamy, making the dish even more comforting. Yellow onions have a subtle pungency that meshes well with the tangy miso, and a sweetness that balances out the entire dish. Less piquant than their green counterparts, yellow onion’s mellow round out the hearty soup.
After chopping up the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and thinly slicing the onions, add them to a pot with dashi and water and bring everything to a boil. Once the potatoes and onions have softened, lower the heat, gently swirl in a spoonful of miso paste, and take the soup off the stove.
There are multiple ways to elevate potato and onion miso soup
For a sweeter flavor to balance out the umami dashi and miso paste, caramelize the onions before adding them to the soup. The nutty taste brings out the earthiness of the miso paste while adding a delicious depth to the dish. After removing the onions from the pan, deglaze the pan with water or stock and add it to the rest of the soup.
If you want it even sweeter, you can swap out regular potatoes for the honeyed kind to make caramelized sweet potato miso soup. The recipe consists of roasted sweet potatoes that are later pureed, giving the soup a creamy texture. Blending the root vegetables provides a hearty feel, but you can throw the chunks of caramelized sweet potato into the broth instead. Either way, softened bits of yellow onions add a nice contrast to the silky soup while helping to balance out the sweet potatoes and funky miso.
The pillowy feel of potatoes definitely tastes delicious with miso soup, but making them crispy serves as a great contrast to the dish. Every slurp ends with a delightful crunch, elevating the soup as a whole. You’ll need to start with steam to nail perfectly crisp roast potatoes — once they’ve softened, pop them in the oven along with onion slices, then place the crispy potatoes and onions into your bowl of miso soup.
