Hannah’s Healthy Kitchen-sink Miso Soup

Hannah Black and Carla Perez-Gallardo are the forces behind Lil’ Deb’s Oasis in Hudson, New York, where they cook food that is vibrant, bright, and totally fun. We asked the chefs to each share a recipe for our Relationships issue—we wanted to know what they loved to eat alone, not realizing that soon we’d be doing lots of just that.

We think Hannah’s recipe might be just what you need (Carla’s, too), so we’re sharing it here in PRSN_, our new project dedicated to highlighting personal work. 

Photography by Caroline Tompkins

The majority of my week is spent at the restaurant where I cook for and am fed by my Lil' Deb's family, and I typically spend my two holy days off unwinding, going out to eat with my husband, or connecting with friends. If I’m cooking for myself, it’s usually because I’m sick or utterly exhausted—so when I do, I gravitate toward something simple, soothing, and healthy. 

My refrigerator is often barren, but I always have some bougie health-food-store miso, onions, eggs, and dried seaweed and mushrooms (they never go bad)—which sometimes inspire me to pick up some tofu, noodles, or greens. The goal is to make one perfect bowl of soup, and no more, because I’ll be back at the restaurant the next day with no time to enjoy my leftovers.

1 serving

WHAT YOU NEED

2 ounces dried mushrooms

Enough water to cover the mushrooms, plus more

Sesame or other oil, to taste

½ white onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small knob of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 scallion, sliced

A large spoonful of miso paste (I prefer South River Azuki Bean Miso), plus more to taste

Firm tofu, cubed—and/or noodles, already cooked if dried

Dried seaweed—and/or greens of your choice, washed

Soy sauce, to taste

Sesame seeds, to taste

A few sprigs of cilantro, washed and picked

Chile oil, to taste

1 egg, hard boiled for 8 minutes, peeled, cut in half, and seasoned with soy sauce

WHAT YOU do

Okay—first, boil water and place the dried mushrooms in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over them to rehydrate, and then strain. You’ll use this later to add flavor to your soup.

In a small pot, sauté the onion in oil (if you have sesame oil, great). Add the ginger and scallion, and cook them on low until the onion is fairly translucent and fragrant, and the ginger is soft. 

Add the miso paste and stir to incorporate, then add the mushroom water. You may want to add extra water, or some sort of broth or stock if you have it (I usually have frozen chicken stock in the freezer). Let it simmer—you're almost done.

Add the tofu and/or noodles, rehydrated mushrooms, dried seaweed and/or greens of your choice, and cook until warm throughout, about 2 more minutes.

Taste for seasoning, and add soy sauce or more miso if needed.

Pour the soup in a bowl and garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro, chile oil, and the egg. Eat on the couch with a comfy blanket and a good movie.

Carla’s Sophisticated Stoner Snack

do(n’t) play with your food