District Dish: Rice cooker miso soup
Written by Emma Pilger. Photo by Emma Pilger.
Cooking for yourself can be hard. Whether the reason is a busy life, struggling with mental health or financial reasons, I know how difficult it can be to pull together meals every day. Finding new ways to make cooking easy is important for everyone. Eating fresh-cooked food, as opposed to frozen or pre-cooked, is also crucial to health both physically and mentally. In both big and small ways, tips and tricks can help you make a home-cooked meal without the hassle.
Cooking rice in a rice cooker is always an easy dinner supplement. While the rice is cooking, you’re able to get work done or relax without touching it. But a rice cooker can cook so much more than just rice. Soups, pasta, stirfry and other straightforward meals are all fair game to be made in a rice cooker.
For a simple, rice cooker miso soup recipe, read below.
Pour the water into the bowl of the rice cooker, and flip the switch to “cook”. Place the kombu strip in the water and let soak until the water is hot and the kombu is rehydrated. This will create the base for the broth, using the minerals from the kombu strip to enhance the flavor of the miso. While the kombu broth is heating, cut the silken tofu into cubes, the roasted seaweed sheet into one-inch squares and the green onion into slivers. Then, remove the kombu from the water. When the water comes to a simmer, mix in the miso paste using a whisk, then change the cook setting to “warm” so that the soup does not reach a rolling boil. Place your tofu and seaweed in the miso broth and allow the seaweed to slightly rehydrate.
Pour into a bowl and top with green onion. Enjoy!
Emma Pilger is a copy editor and columnist at District who prioritizes high quality writing and strong personal voice. She is passionate about writing, food, and community. Her column, District Dish, highlights some of Savannah’s best food as well as cooking advice geared towards college students.
