Carrot Soup with Millet

Serves 4 to 5

 

1/2 cup Japanese kibi millet

2 medium carrots, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 T celery, diced

Parsley, optional garnish

Pinch of salt

1 T sweet white miso

1 T olive oil for sauteing

6 cups of dashi or water

1 bay leaf

 

1. Dice the vegetables, and rinse the millet.
2. Add olive oil to a pan and heat it up.  Saute the onion until it smells sweet, and then move it to the side of the pan.  Add the celery (you don't need any more oil) and saute until it smells sweet, and then mix it with the onion and again push the vegetables off to the side.  Finally, add the carrots with a small pinch of salt and saute until it smells sweet.   Finally, mix all the vegetables together and push to the side.
3. In the same pot, roast the rinsed millet until it begins to smell nutty.
4. Add water or dashi, the bay leaf, and bring to a boil.
5. Cover, and cook on a low flame for about 15 minutes.
6. Take out the bay leaf and put the soup into a blender or food processor and mix until creamy.
7. Put the soup back into the pot.  Put a small amount of the soup into a suribachi with the miso and blend until creamy.  Add this back into the soup and mix. 
8. Adjust miso and salt to taste.
9.  Serve garnished with parsley.

 

Millet Onion Soup

Serves 4 to 5

 

5 small onions (small onions will be sweeter than large ones)

5 T mochi awa millet

1 Bay leaf

7 c Water      

5 X 10 cm piece kombu

5 t Barley miso

Green onion or parsley as an optional garnish

 

1. Put kombu in the bottom of a pot. 
2. Take the whole onions and peel them.  Cut a few slices in the top (but keep the onions whole).
3. Add onion to the pot.
4. Smear 1 t of miso on top of each onion.
5. Add the water to the pot.
6. Cook over a low flame for 30 minutes.
7. Add the millet and cook 5 more minutes.
8. Top with parsley or green onion if desired.

 

Pumpkin Soup

Serves 4 to 5

 

1/8^th of one kabocha (or substitute butternut/cup)

1 medium onion

1 cup cooked brown rice

4 c kombu dashi

Pinch of salt.

 

1. Cut the pumpkin (or butternut) into 1 cm pieces.
2. Boil it in a small amount of water with a pinch of salt until soft.  When finished, cut off the skin and set aside.
3. Dice the onion and saute it on a very low flame until it smells sweet.
4. Add all the ingredients in with the pumpkin (onions, dashi, rice) and season with salt. 
5. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes
6. Put it into a food processor and blend it until it is creamy and smooth.

 

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Serves 4 to 5

 

1 large onion

8 to 10 button mushrooms

1 cup shimeji mushrooms

1/2 cup instant oatmeal

1 cup soymilk

5 cups water

Sweet white miso to taste

Salt to taste

Parsley to garnish

 

1. Cut the onions, wash and cut the button mushrooms, wash and separate the shimeji mushrooms.
2. Saute the vegetables, onions first in a little bit of sesame oil.  When they smell sweet, push them to the side of the pan.   Add the button mushrooms and saute until they smell sweet.  Mix them with the onions and push the mixture to the side of the pan.   Finally, add the shimeji mushrooms and saute until they smell sweet.  Mix the onions and mushrooms together.
3. Add water and bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the instant oatmeal and simmer 5 to 10 more minutes.
5. Taste and add miso and sea salt.
6. Serve garnished with parsley.