My reasons for hating the cold are legion. Less clear is why I live in what is probably one of the coldest places on earth. OK, I’m exaggerating but anything above 0 degrees celsius is a warm day between November and March as far as I can tell, which is why I need comfort.
Fast comfort. Easy comfort. Comfy comfort.
Nekojiru, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. In Japanese, nekojiru means cat soup. Hold up with the Asians eat anything jokes please, as far as I’m aware kitty has never been on a Japanese menu. From what I managed to glean from my dad (he’s not, shall we say, the most forthcoming of people at the best of times) this soup is the leftovers that the cat (and presumably the dog) got to eat on post-war Japanese farms. Though come to think of it, it’s highly unlikely there was white rice in there, or even brown. Probably more like millet.
Anyway, enough with the speculation, this mixture of miso and rice is what I eat at least three times a week for lunch when I’ve been at German class since what feels like the crack of dawn and therefore ate breakfast far too many hours ago and the hangrrr, the dreaded hangrrr is taking off her shoes in the genkan. It’s also a great way to heat up leftover rice if you don’t have a microwave.
What do you eat when you’re hungry and don’t have a moment to wait?
Nekojiru (for one)
It’s a bit rich even calling it a recipe since I just use powdered dashi instead of bothering to make it from scratch, make miso and dump in leftover rice to heat and sprinkle over some spring onions but to me, it’s a taste of home wherever I happen to be and it only takes five minutes from go to woah.
300 ml water
2 tablespoons miso
1/2 tsp dashi granules
handful wakame
leftover rice (a ricebowl full)
one sliced spring onion
Heat the water to the boil and turn down.
Add the dashi then dissolve the miso. I find the best way to do this is by putting it in a ladle with half a ladleful of the hot stock and stirring with chopsticks while the bottom of the ladle is still warmed by the rest of the stock.
Put in the wakame and rice and let them heat through.
DON’T let it boil once the miso has been added – it will lose its flavour and aroma.
Eat out of the pot with the spring onion on top.
Leave a comment, make my day!
Simple, easy to make, 5 minutes till ricey goodness. Too warm here for this now, but I look forward to testing it. My humble thanks, sometimes we don’t have time to pre-soak the lentils and spend 3 hours glazing the coq-au-vin or whatever else the cookbooks suggest. Food for the hangry. Crucial.
Fight hanger at its source! Private pantry to the rescue!
Oftentimes I’ll even resort to instant miso soup to pour over reftover rice for runch by my ronesome self. Razy, razy.
The horror.
I make miso soup over rice too!
If you put lots of wakame and spring onions in you feel kinda like you’re getting some veges too.
This was a nice change from the plain jane miso soup I usually make, thanks.
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy it, it’s a bit more substantial isn’t it?
Yus. Poking around in plain miso soup makes me feel aimless. It’s misleading – the way the clouds make you think something solid is in it. Elusive. Now my spoon has a goal.
Poetic! ;P
This is a comfort food for me toooo. Mine usually has kinugoshi in it too. yum yum
Yeah, I put tofu in when I can get it…Heh, look at all these nekojiru eaters coming outta the closet.
Glad to have found your blog! Thanks for the miso tip… I always boil it after I put it in….Argh!
Nekojiro sounds divine….
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