Hi, Everyone!
Have you ever known about Japanese ancient capital, Nara?
Perhaps, some people remember Nara park where tourists can feed the deer.
I actually had gone to the park in school trip and was scared of the deer because they were too close to me.
Along with Kyoto, Nara is one of the most popular destination for tourists.
Of course Nara is famous for not only deer but also many beautiful shrines and temples.
I would like to introduce “ASUKA JIRU: milk miso soup” which is related to Nara today.
ASUKA is the name of era, and the capital was ASUKA (presently know as Nara) in the Asuka era.
It is said that the soup made with milk had been called “ASUKA JIRU”* because milk was introduced into Japan from China in the Asuka era.
*JIRU means soup in Japanese
I hear that the miso soup with milk became “ASUKA JIRU”, and people enjoy it as a local cuisine in Nara prefecture nowadays.
Some people might think the combination of milk and miso is kind of strange…
However, you will be completely satisfied with the taste. Believe me!!
【Recipe (3-4 servings)】
Ingredients
1.5 oz miso paste (fermented soybean paste)*1
1 teaspoon dashi granules*2
2.5 oz chicken, Cut into bite-sized
1.5 oz carrot, Sliced
1.5 oz daikon, Sliced
1 oz green onion, Chopped
1 oz spinach, Chopped
1.7 cups (400ml) water
0.8 cup (200ml) milk
*1Feel free to adjust the amounts of miso paste to your liking.
*2If miso paste already contains dashi, don’t need dashi granules. I use miso paste containig dashi this time.
Directions
1. Heat water, carrot, daikon, and green onion in a saucepan until vegetables are cooked.
2. Add spinach, chicken, and dashi granules.
3. After chicken is cooked, add milk.
Tip: Make sure just warm milk not boiling.
4. Add miso paste and stir until miso is completely melted.
Ready to eat!
Honestly I doubted about the taste before I cook because I don’t use milk and miso together in cooking usually. However, it is surprisingly very delicious!
I also think that this soup would go really well with pasta (as Chicken pasta soup).
Enjoy your miso soup!
