Tomato Miso Soup

Tomatoes aren't a typical ingredient in miso soup, but when prepared properly and paired with the right ingredients, they can bring a fresh twist to the classic dish. In this Tomato Miso Soup recipe, I combine them with aburaage (fried tofu pouches) to balance the tomato’s acidity, the richness of the miso, and the savory depth of the dashi broth.

Tomato Miso Soup is a variation of Japanese miso soup that features tomatoes as a key ingredient. While tofu, wakame seaweed, onions, and eggplant are commonly used in miso soup, tomatoes are sometimes added in Japan, offering a unique twist.

Some people might wonder whether tomatoes really go well with miso soup, but when cooked properly and paired with the right ingredients, they can be truly delicious. However, since tomatoes release a lot of acidity when heated, adding them carelessly can throw off the balance of flavors, and the soup might not appeal to everyone.

In this article, I will share a recipe that brings out the natural flavor of tomatoes, allowing you to enjoy their harmony with miso and dashi broth. It is definitely worth adding to your miso soup repertoire.

Tomatoes are a highly nutritious vegetable. They are packed with vitamins and minerals, as well as beta-carotene and lycopene, and they contain glutamic acid, which contributes to umami. This glutamic acid is said to be the primary reason why tomatoes pair well with miso soup.

It is known that combining two (or more) types of umami components creates a synergistic effect, enhancing each other’s flavors and making a dish even more flavorful. Since typical dashi broth is rich in inosinic acid, another umami component, pairing it with the glutamic acid in tomatoes makes the soup even more delicious.

However, when you actually add tomatoes to miso soup, their acidity can become quite pronounced. This happens because heating reduces the tomatoes’ aroma and sweetness, causing the acidity to stand out even more. In other words, to make a truly delicious tomato miso soup, it is necessary to balance or mellow that acidity.

There are several ways to mellow the acidity in tomatoes:

• Use a sweeter variety of tomato

Sweeter tomato varieties tend to be less acidic, even when cooked. Additionally, fully ripe tomatoes are less acidic than unripe ones.

• Remove the seedy parts

Much of the acidity in tomatoes is concentrated in the gel-like substance surrounding the seeds. Removing this part can help reduce acidity.

• Avoid overcooking tomatoes

Cooking tomatoes reduces their natural aroma and sweetness while making their acidity more pronounced. Keeping the cooking time short helps preserve a milder flavor and prevents them from falling apart.

As a side note, the acidity in tomatoes starts to break down at temperatures above 350℉ (175℃), but reaching that temperature when making miso soup isn't practical. That said, if you don’t mind putting in a little extra effort, you can roast the tomatoes beforehand and then add them to the miso soup. This way, you can enjoy tomato miso soup with less acidity.

The acidity of tomatoes can be mellowed by adding ingredients that provide sweetness or umami to miso soup.

In Japan, common additions to tomato miso soup include onions, eggs, aburaage (fried tofu pouches), and mushrooms. These ingredients help mellow the tomato’s acidity, creating a well-balanced dish.

Among these, I especially recommend adding aburaage. Since beta-carotene and lycopene in tomatoes are more easily absorbed when consumed with oil, including aburaage not only enriches the flavor but also boosts the soup’s nutritional value.

Feel free to combine several ingredients if you like, but keep in mind that the stars of this dish are the tomatoes and miso. Therefore, it is best not to add too many other ingredients, as they might overpower these flavors.

Ingredients

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Instructions

🕒 Total: 10 mins mins

Step 1
Place the aburaage in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over it to remove any excess oil. Remove it from the bowl, and once it has cooled enough to handle, gently squeeze out any remaining moisture.

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Step 2
Cut the aburaage in half lengthwise, then slice it into thin strips. Cut the tomato into wedges. Thinly slice the green onion.

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Step 3
Combine the dashi and aburaage in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the tomato and simmer over low heat for about 30 seconds.

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Step 4
Turn off the heat, and dissolve the miso into the soup using a ladle and chopsticks.

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Step 5
Serve in individual bowls and top with the green onions.

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To store

You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

• If you want to improve the texture of tomatoes when eating them, peel them either before or after cutting. Since heating tomatoes can make them taste more acidic, I personally recommend not blanching them.
• If you want to reduce the acidity even further, try removing the gel-like substance surrounding the seeds.
• Add the miso after turning off the heat. If miso is heated after being added, its flavor and beneficial bacteria may be diminished.