Eggplant miso soup has quickly become a favorite of mine ever since I moved to Tokyo. It’s a simple dish made of melt in your mouth tender pieces of eggplant, fried tofu strips, crunchy green onions, and served in a delicate miso broth. It’s deeply comforting and has the perfect balance of umami, salty, and smoky.
About this recipe
Eggplant miso soup, called nasu no misoshiru, is a type of miso soup that comes with sliced fried eggplant. Depending on the chef who makes it, it can be served with just eggplant, or contain additional ingredients such as aburaage, onion, tofu, spinach, and more.
When I make eggplant miso soup at home I use a mix of aburaage, wakame, green onions, and ground sesame seeds. This ingredient combination delivers so many different layers of flavor and yet, the dish still remains delicate and perfectly balanced.
Table of contents
Ingredients Needed
- Aburaage: Aburaage are slices of tofu sheets that have been deep fried until they reach a golden color. The thin sheets can be split open and are often used to make inari sushi, mochi kinchaku, or are added to salads and soups. You will need one sheet of aburaage for this recipe.
- Japanese eggplant: You will need two long Japanese eggplants or three small Japanese eggplants. Alternatively, you can use one large Chinese eggplant.
- Dashi powder: Dashi powder is made from ground bonito flakes and seaweed and adds a savory and umami flavor to the soup.
- Miso paste: For this recipe I like to use white miso paste because it’s more delicate and a little sweeter than the other types. However, I have used awase miso (a mix of white and red miso paste) in the past and that also worked beautifully.
- Wakame: A little seaweed is sprinkled into the soup to add a briny element.
- Green onions: Freshly sliced green onions are used as a topping to provide an element of crunch and freshness.
- Ground sesame seeds: Also used as a topping, ground sesame seeds infuse the soup with nuttiness.
How To Make It
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full eggplant miso soup recipe.
1. Boil The Fried Tofu Sheet.
Bring a pot of water to boil and add the tofu sheet, whole. Let it boil for a few minutes to remove the excess oil, and drain it. Let it cool to room temperature and gently squeeze the sheet to remove as much water as possible. Pat it dry and slice into strips.
2. Grill The Eggplant.
This is my favorite way to make eggplant because it requires no oil, is quick, and delivers the perfect texture every single time.
Rinse the eggplant and pat it dry. Place a skillet over medium high heat and add the eggplant. Flip the eggplant every 2 minutes so that all sides cook evenly. After 7-8 minutes, the skin should be slightly charred and the flesh tender.
You can check the doneness by delicately sticking a paring knife in the flesh. It should go in smoothly. If not, grill for an additional 1-2 minutes. Turn the heat off and transfer the eggplant to a cutting board. Let it cool down. We’ll add it to the miso soup later.
3. Make The Eggplant Miso Soup
The last step is making the soup. Heat up the water and dashi in a soup pot until boiling. Add the fried tofu strips and wakame and turn off the heat. Stir in the miso paste through a small strainer and divide the soup among 4 miso soup bowls.
Slice the eggplant into bite size pieces and add them to the soup. Top with green onions and a little ground sesame seeds. Serve.
Storage And Reheating
Fridge: Store the eggplant miso soup in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Note: If you are planning to make the soup ahead of time and save it for later, keep the eggplant separate from the soup. This will help the slices of eggplant retain their shape and keep the miso broth clean.
Freezer: You can freeze this miso soup but first, remove the eggplant pieces. Cooked eggplant doesn’t thaw very well and the texture can get very slimy. Let the soup cool down to room temperature and divide the soup into individual serving sizes. Freeze them in airtight glass containers or airtight storage bags.
Reheating: Reheat the soup in a pot on low heat until it’s hot. DO NOT BRING IT TO A BOIL. Using high heat can destroy some of the probiotics and enzymes found in miso paste, giving the soup an overly salty taste. That’s why it should never be heated to a boiling point and why it’s always added last.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some miso pastes contain dashi so make sure that the miso paste you buy says vegan on the label. And instead of using regular dashi powder, use konbu dashi, which is made of seaweed.
It depends on the type of miso paste used. Some miso pastes contain barley (mugi) which contains gluten, while others are made in facilities that manufacture products with gluten. Because of those two reasons it’s best to only buy products that say “gluten-free” on the label.
I either use white miso paste or awase miso paste. I never touch red miso paste because I find it to be too pungent and salty. As for which brand I like to use, I am absolutely in love with Marukome Ryotei No Aji miso paste.
What To Serve With Eggplant Miso Soup
The serving size for miso soup is relatively small, making it perfect as a side dish. I recommend pairing this soup with other Japanese dishes that offer traditional flavors. I might be old school but I usually prefer to eat miso soup as part of a traditional Japanese breakfast, with nigirizushi or maki rolls, or as part of a washoku meal (rice with a variety of small dishes).
Example of small dishes are:
- Gomae (Japanese spinach salad with sesame sauce)
- Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet)
- Onigiri (rice balls)
- Agedashi tofu (deep fried tofu with tsuyu sauce)
- Hiyayakko (chilled tofu)
Other recipes using miso that you might like to try: Miso salmon, spicy miso ramen, nasu dengaku, miso dressing, roasted broccoli with miso sauce, eggplant and kabocha miso gratin, baked miso and parmesan chicken, corn salad with creamy miso dressing.
Other Miso Soups You Might Like To Try
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Eggplant Miso Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
An easy miso soup recipe with melt in your mouth pieces of eggplant, fried tofu strips, crunchy green onions, and served in a delicate miso broth.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet aburaage (fried tofu pouch)
- 2 Japanese eggplants or 1 large Chinese eggplant
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon dashi powder
- 3 to 5 tablespoons white miso paste or awase miso paste
- 1 teaspoon wakame (seaweed)
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- Boil the tofu pouch: Fill a small pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the aburaage and boil for 3 to 4 minutes to remove excess oil. This helps the tofu pouch absorb the flavor of the soup better. Take the tofu pouch out of the water and let it cool down.
- Squeeze it: When it’s cool enough that you can hold it in your hands, gently squeeze out the excess water and pat the pouch dry with a paper towel.
- Slice it: Slice the tofu pouch into strips and set aside.
- Cook the eggplant: Place a medium size skillet over medium heat and add the eggplant. Flip it once in a while until the skin is golden brown and the inside is fully cooked (about 5 to 7 minutes).
- Rest the eggplant: Turn the heat off and transfer the eggplant to a plate. Set aside.
- Make the broth: Add the water and dashi powder to a pot and bring to a boil.
- Add the tofu pouch and wakame: Lower the heat to a simmer and add the tofu pouch slices and wakame.
- Add the miso paste: Place the miso paste in a small strainer and turn the heat off. Lower the strainer into the pot, until the liquid covers the miso paste and stir with chopsticks until it dissolves. This step is important to prevent lumps of miso paste from clumping.
- Cut the eggplant: Slice the eggplant into bite size pieces.
- Serve: Divide the miso soup among 4 bowls and top with eggplant and green onions. Serve immediately.
Notes
Save the leftover miso soup in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When reheating, place the soup in a pot and warm it up over low heat until it’s hot. Do not boil the soup as the high heat may destroy the probiotics and enzymes found in the miso paste and give it a saltier taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 85
- Sugar: 0.9g
- Sodium: 15.1mg
- Fat: 3.9g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8.9g
- Fiber: 2.4g
- Protein: 5.1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
