Miso soup is the classic warm opener of Japanese cooking. At Han Kitchen in Zurich-Oerlikon it appears on the menu as ‘Miso shiro (Soup)’ and costs CHF 6.00 – our most affordable starter and an easy companion to sushi or a rice bowl.
What is miso soup?
Miso is a fermented paste made from soybeans, salt and koji, often with rice or barley added. To make the soup, the paste is stirred into hot stock – in Japan traditionally dashi, a broth of kombu seaweed and, very often, dried bonito flakes. Common additions are cubes of tofu, wakame seaweed and spring onion.
In Japan, misoshiru (味噌汁) is part of almost every traditional meal: rice, a soup and a few small side dishes form the backbone. You sip it straight from the bowl and pick out the pieces with chopsticks.
Miso shiro – what the name means
On our menu the soup is called ‘Miso shiro’. Two Japanese terms meet here: ‘misoshiru’ is miso soup itself, while ‘shiro miso’ means white miso, a pale, mild and slightly sweet paste. Red miso (aka miso) is aged for longer and tastes stronger. Ask us in the restaurant which paste goes into our soup.
What to eat with miso soup
Miso soup is light, savoury and gently salty, so it sets you up for almost anything on our menu: rolls, maki and nigiri, a salmon donburi or a zukedon bowl. It sits just as comfortably next to a Korean dish such as bibimbap – in Korea a soup is part of nearly every meal anyway.
At CHF 6.00 it’s also the simplest way to round off a lunch. We’re open for lunch from Tuesday to Friday, 11:30 to 14:00.
Miso soup to take away
Call us on 077 268 20 80 to order ahead, or drop by Baumackerstrasse 46 during opening hours and take it with you.