Miserly Miso Mushroom Soup

1. 1

   Heat a large, heavy pot and film the bottom with the grapeseed oil. Toss in half the green onions (mostly the white part), the ginger and the garlic and saute over medium heat for a minute or so, or until beginning to soften.

2. 2

   Rinse off the kelp to remove stray sand or bits of shell. Add to the pot along with the water and the bonita flakes. Turn up the heat and watch carefully - just before it hits boiling, turn down the heat. Let it sit on a low flame for about 5-7 minutes.

3. 3

   Put the dried mushrooms in a large bowl, and strain the broth over them. Discard the fixings, and let the mushrooms rehydrate for 20 minutes or so. Strain the soup back into the pot and dice up the mushrooms. Add to the pot along with the miso, cabbage and carrots (if you have some fresh mushrooms handy, you can add them too) and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender

4. 4

   Divide the tofu into serving bowls, ladle the soup over, and top with the remaining scallions. (David Lieberman has a lovely recipe for Asian Mushroom Soup in which he calls for a bit of dark sesame oil to be drizzled over the top. I didn't have any, and I stopped myself from driving to the store to get some, but if you have some, go for it!)

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.