Miso soup is often served at Japanese restaurants before the main meal. It is a simple but flavorful soup and is a great warm up for special meal. If you make the soup without the cubed tofu, serve it in small sipping cups without utensils for a more traditional experience.

Ingredients
4 cups water
1 strip kombu
8 oz tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes (optional)
2 tbsp miso
chopped scallions (garnish)

Directions

1. Heat the water and kombu in a small soup pot until boiling.
   
2. Add the tofu, and reduce heat.
   
3. When the tofu is heated through, about 10 minutes, remove the kombu.
   
4. Ladle a small amount of broth into a cup and dissolve the miso into it. Remove from heat. It's important not to continue cooking the miso at is believed that doing so reduces the nutritive value.
   
5. Ladle into small bowls. Sprinkle with scallions for garnish.

Kombu is a dried seaweed that can be found in most natural foods stores. It is used in this recipe to add flavor to the broth before adding the miso. If kombu is unavailable in your area, use sliced shiitake mushrooms and a handful of thinly slice red onion. If you do use the mushrooms and onion, you do not have to remove them from the broth.

Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans, and is used often in Japanese and macrobiotic cooking. It can be found in the refrigerated section of most natural foods and Asian grocery stores.