Miso soup has never let me down. Recently, in response to the dearth of affordable restaurants in my hometown, I have attempted to recreate the classic miso soup that I've come to love in my time living closer to civilization.

I have had absolutely no success, but I did come up with a really good miso-based soup recipe that is still yummy and satisfying while bearing little resemblance to a decent miso soup.

Julia's Hella Inauthentic Miso Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons of white miso paste
• 0-4 cloves of garlic (depending on how much you love garlic)
• Red pepper flakes (if you like some spice)
• (optional) 1 egg
• (optional) Prepared udon noodles

Steps

• Heat vegetable broth in a sauce pan
• In a bowl/Pyrex measuring cup, add miso paste, garlic, and pepper flakes
• Once simmering, pour 1/2 cup of broth into the bowl with the miso paste and mix until all the miso dissolves in the broth
• Add broth back to sauce pan and bring back to a simmer
• If you want to add an egg, crack the egg into the broth and allow to poach directly in the soup
• Pour into a bowl (over prepared udon noodles, if you're feeling noodle-y) and enjoy!

I have thoroughly enjoyed this soup recipe each time I've made it. I think what I'll end up doing to take it to the next level is add tofu and some vegetables like sprouts, carrots, and mushrooms! The best part of this soup is definitely how easy it is to make and how you can customize it however you want to be as exciting or as basic as you're in the mood for.

It's absolutely not even close to anything vaguely resembling an authentic miso soup, but it still warms the soul pretty efficiently!