Kitchen Sink Miso

The third in my series of Miso Soups, this one has everything in it but the kitchen sink. It is rich, hearty and satisfying, yet not heavy. It is a meal alone, or a great first course. It is almost the other two misos from this blog combined, and there is plenty of room for improvisation.

Ingredients (highly flexible except for the miso itself)
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil (or canola oil)
One onion (or scallions or shallots)
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger (or more if you really like ginger)
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg of dried shitake mushrooms (or any dried mushrooms
1/2 cup of miso
8 -10 cups of water or vegetable broth (I use water and it is fine)
1/2 lb. of firm tofu
3 carrots, shredded
1/4 large head of white cabbage, shredded  (purple will muddy your soup)
shredded daikon radish
12 oz. can of garbanzo beans (or 1 cup pre-soaked and pre-cooked)
frozen peans
your additional vegetable improvisations (green beans, corn, radish slices,)
sprouts and cilantro for garnish

Cook the onions in the oil, add the garlic, ginger and crimini mushrooms. Put the dried mushrooms to soak in a cup of water. When the mushrooms begin to look cooked, add the miso, the soaked dried mushrooms with their water,  and the remainder of the water (or vegetable broth). Bring to a boil and throw in all the other ingredients. Cook 5 minutes, garnish and serve – Do not overcook the carrots/cabbage – it is better to have some texture to the vegetables, and leave room for reheating the soup.