I always keep miso paste in our refrigerator. It’s a great ingredient for vegan cooks to have on hand, because it adds great flavor to dishes and has many health benefits.

Originating from Japan, miso is made from fermenting soybeans with rice or barley and a type of mold called koji (a good source of B vitamins and enzymes). It is usually sold in eigh-ounce tubs and can be found in health food stores and some grocery stores in a refrigeration aisle, generally alongside tofu or Asian products.

Miso’s consistency is sort of like peanut butter or hummus. There are usually a couple of miso varieties found in stores, typically red or white. Red miso has a stronger, saltier flavor. I generally make my miso soup with white miso, but that is strictly a matter of taste. Even the white miso is salty, so be careful not to automatically add salt to your recipes without tasting what you have made first.

Miso has a flavor that is categorized as umami, which is the fifth basic “taste” besides sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Umami is a savory taste, which acts as a flavor enhancer and adds richness to a dish. A spoonful or two of miso can do wonders to sauces, soups, stir-fries and dressings of all types.

Miso is often touted for its probiotic benefits, promoting healthy bacteria in your gut, which can improve digestion and strengthen your immune system. However, if you boil miso, you will kill these beneficial bacteria, thereby reducing miso’s optimal nutritional value. So go ahead and heat miso until it’s nice and hot, but do not boil it.

Miso is also a good source of protein and has anticancer, antihypertensive, anti-obese and anti-inflammatory properties as well – it’s quite a powerhouse!

Hearty miso soup

This is an unconventional type of miso soup, suitable for a main course because of all the vegetables packed into it. Feel free to substitute other vegetables to your liking. While it takes inspiration from authentic miso soups, apologies to purists for my untraditional take on this classic.

Serves four.

Ingredients

-- 2 tablespoons peanut oil.

-- 1 clove garlic, minced.

-- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (or 1/4 teaspoon dried).

-- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced.

-- 1/2 cup green pepper, thinly sliced.

-- 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced.

-- 1 cup green beans, chopped into one-inch pieces.

-- 1 cup cabbage or zucchini, shredded.

-- 1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced.

-- 4 cups water.

-- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth.

-- 3 tablespoons miso (white or red).

-- 8 ounces tofu, cubed.

-- Ground black pepper, to taste.

-- Handful of spinach leaves, slivered.

-- Snack-sized roasted seaweed sheets, slivered, for topping (optional).

-- 1/2 cup chopped scallions, for topping (optional).

-- Tamari or soy sauce, as desired.

Directions

Heat a large frying pan with the peanut oil. Sauté garlic, ginger and onion on medium heat until the onion is translucent; do not brown. Add green pepper, carrots, green beans, cabbage or zucchini and mushrooms, and sauté until vegetables are tender but not mushy.

- Meanwhile, heat water and vegetable broth in a three-quart pot, but do not boil. Add miso to pot and stir to dissolve; keep heated on low. Cut tofu into half-inch cubes, and add to broth. Add sautéed vegetables to the pot, and stir gently. Add ground pepper to taste.

Heat, being careful not to boil, for about 10 minutes to meld flavors. Add slivered spinach to the pot and heat one or two additional minutes. Top individual servings with chopped scallions and slivered seaweed, to taste.

You can serve this soup over an Asian noodle, such as udon or ramen, or serve with rice on the side. I made brown rice (about two cups cooked), and stirred in a tablespoon of sesame oil and a handful of toasted sesame seeds to the rice before serving. Pass around tamari or soy sauce for both soup and rice, to taste.

For more recipes and information on how your food choices affect the planet and your health, go to harriscenter.org/rhp.