This is not your typical Japanese restaurant miso with only a few strands of seaweed and a little tofu floating in a thin broth. This is a hearty bowlful of veggies, protein and flavor to satisfy your hunger. 

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 1 Tbsp dashi
• 1/4 cup red miso paste
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced thin into half moons
• 1 serrano pepper, sliced lengthwise and seeded (if we don’t have fresh, we’ll throw in a couple whole dried red chili peppers from our pantry)
• 1 cup green cabbage, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup dried shredded black fungus
• 1 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed
• 1 cup extra firm tofu, cubed
• scallions, sliced for garnish (optional)
• red chili paste, for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

Bring the water to a low simmer. Add the dashi (this is a granulated bullion of kelp and dried fish that is responsible for the savory flavor known as umami), the onions, chili pepper, cabbage, dried fungus and seaweed. Bring back to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 mins or until the onion and cabbage are just tender. Taste for spiciness. You can remove the serrano peppers anytime if it get too hot. Add the tofu and miso paste. Simmer and stir until the miso paste has dissolved. Serve with the garnishes and enjoy. 

If you want to add some extra calories and texture to this soup, add some pasta (cooking separately so as not to soak up all the delicious broth from the soup) like soba, ramen or udon noodles. 

And if you want to make this vegan, simply use your favorite vegetable stock instead of the water and dashi.