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It may not seem like a soup day today, but my man wasn’t feeling well, so I decided to make something that always helps me feel better: Miso Soup.

The best place to get ingredients for any Japanese dish in my neighborhood of Astoria is Family Market. They have everything Japanese there. Tons of different noodles, beverages, edamame, seaweeds, fish snacks, Japanese pastries, and delicious lychee gummy candies. Plus, some teenie bopper Japanese magazines.

This store has everything to make a mean Miso soup that’ll help any cold. (Click Below for Miso Soup recipe).

A Japanese former roommate gave me my first taste of homemade Miso Soup when I was sick at our apartment. She told me that’s what her mother always made when she felt sick and it really did make me feel better. I learned how to make it myself and now it’s my permanent sick remedy.

It’s actually really easy:
1. Put shiitake mushrooms, 1 package of extra-firm tofu cubed, and about 6 tsp. of seaweed in a pot with about 5 cups of water.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 5-8 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in chopped green onions and 4-5 heaping teaspoons of miso paste.

Makes 4-6 servings. I usually also cook up some udon noodles to throw in the soup (you can buy them frozen and just boil them up in a couple minutes). That and some edamame to pick on and you’ve got a great tasty meal, bound to boost your protein level and your health.