Did you know that miso soup is not vegetarian? Well, I didn't. I was under the impression that dashi stock was made from some kind of radish. Because doesn't it sound like a Japanese way for saying radish soup? No?
  Anyhoo, dashi uses dried bonito flakes. So ever since then I have had to make a special vegetarian request for my miso soup at itsu. Until I decided to man up and make my own, but also because I finally found out where to buy dried wakame. Word of caution: Wakame is a magical sponge. I put in a tablespoon of so, and man that thing inflated. So if you feel like you are not using enough wakame, trust me, you have more than enough.

Vegan Miso Soup
Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:
2 cups water // 2 tbsp dried wakame* // 2 tbsp miso paste (I use Korean Doenjang) // 1/4 cup cubed extra firm tofu // 1/8 cup chopped spring onion (optional)

Bring 2 cups of water to a simmer, then add the wakame and leave covered for 4 minutes. Place the miso in a small bowl and scoop out some water from the pot into the bowl and stir until miso forms an even paste. Add this to the pot and allow to simmer a further 5 minutes. Finally, add in tofu and onions and heat for a remaining two minutes. Serve hot.

*if wakame is difficult to find, you can use one sheet of nori for sushi rolls and cut it up into strips

I enjoyed mine with veggie nori rolls filled with raw carrots, red cabbage, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower sprouts and some extra tofu that I marinated in tamari for a few minutes. I also boiled some edamame and sprinkled them with Himalayan sea salt. because what is Japanese cuisine without edamame?