The Japanese are renowned for their longevity. As of 2011, their average life expectancy was 82.3 years. (The United States came in fiftieth, at 78.4 years.) Researchers often credit their diet, and this soup is my way of cramming as much of their healthy cuisine into a bowl as possible. It's called Bento Box Soup because of the traditional Japanese take-out bento box lunch, which is full of compartments, each containing a tasty treat: fish or meat, rice, pickled or cooked veggies, and other goodies. The base is a miso broth; if you're not in the know about miso, it's a salty fermented soy product that aids digestion and improves immune function. In case white miso isn't available, use any mellow (light) miso. I kicked those healing properties up a notch by infusing green tea into the broth for an extra immune boost, then added shiitakes, spinach, kombu, scallions, and tamari.
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
Preparation
Step 1
Fill a soup pot halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add a pinch of salt and the soba noodles and decrease the heat to medium. Cook, stirring gently on occasion, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse well under cold water to remove the starch. Immediately transfer to a bowl, drizzle with 1/4 teaspoon of the sesame oil and toss gently to coat.
Step 2
Put the broth in the same pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to low, add the kombu and tea bags, and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove the kombu and tea bags with a slotted spoon. Add the carrot, mushrooms, tofu, tamari, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 3
Put 1/4 cup of the hot broth in a small bowl, add the miso, and stir with a fork until the miso is dissolved. Stir the mixture back into the broth, then stir in the scallions, lemon juice, and remaining sesame oil.
Step 4
Distribute the soba noodles and spinach among six bowls and ladle in the soup.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you're sensitive to gluten, be sure to purchase 100 percent buckwheat soba noodles. Also, be aware that prolonged cooking or high heat will kill the beneficial nutrients in miso, so add it at the end of recipes and heat it gently.
Variations: You can substitute udon noodles for the soba. Another option is to omit the soba and instead put add 1/4 cup of cooked brown rice in each bowl, and then ladle the soup over the rice.
Storage: Store the soba and soup separately so the soba doesn't fall apart. Store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, and the soba in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than 1 day.
Leave a Review
Reviews (23)
Back to TopVery good for a light dinner, but even so - not quite sure how 4 oz soba, 4 oz tofu, and 1-1/2 c raw spinach extends to make 6 servings. I ate almost the whole thing myself!
Anonymous
Swarthmore
2/28/2023
Mine was kind of bland. I added some more Tamari and some red pepper flakes. I am wondering if I should have poured out the water from boiling the sobs noodles? Hopefully, someone responds I’d like to make again.
tmatheis
St Louis MO
8/26/2019
Flavourful and easy to make! The touch of sesame oil on the noodles was perfect.
taacct.alpha7619
Manila
1/17/2018
This has become a winter go-to recipe. It is very satisfying and very healthy. I follow the recipe as is.
gringaroja
Massachusetts
12/3/2016
Wow! Made this for the first time tonight for my love and I. It is delicious, satisfying and easy to prepare. I'm going to share this will all of my friends and family. The best part? Its not only scrumptious but its healthy!
chelle8
Pittsburgh, PA
1/12/2016
This soup that I made for lunch was the first meal in a few months where my wife and my biggest critic kept on going wow, hmmm, slurp. Even my 2 year old daughter gobbled down the tofu and slurped the broth. Best of all, it took 15-20 minutes to cook with minimal shopping. Caveat, I cook a lot of Asian and Japanese dishes because my wife is Singaporean so we had many of the ingredients. I listened to another review and substituted soy sauce (1.5 tbsp) for the tamari. Remember if you are buying miso for the first time buy one that has just that has the fewest ingredients with the soybean like just rice and salt. Avoid miso that adds alcohol. I though that the recipe was perfect first time but the change that I made two cups of chicken stock and two cups of water. The rational was two fold. First, chicken stock is concentrated (and an added cost) so it can be diluted. Second, the kombu (a subtle flavor), the tea bags and the miso are flavorful enough that the diluted chicken stock does not distract from the flavor. Finally, for a hungry family having just the soup, the recipe makes for 4 big appetites. Good cooking and eating.
peterjaysheren
Singapore
10/31/2015
I use smoked tofu and load up on all veggies I have in the house. Delish and healing.
jessinparis
10/5/2015
Oh, I also forgot to rate the recipe. That's how delicious this food is! Haha.
mischasteen
Pilsen, Czech republic
8/2/2015
I was cooking for my vegetarian boyfriend for the first time and I was looking for some good recipe. We also love asian food, so this was a very good choice. We really loved it. It's absolutely delicious!
mischasteen
Pilsen, Czech republic
8/2/2015
Made this 'cause I wanted to do something with the tofu I had in the 'fridge. WOW! Even with a few variations, this was so delicious, full of flavor, and satisfying. My alterations included: no kombu, regular white mushrooms in place of shiitakes, soy sauce (only about 1 - 1.5 teaspoons) instead of tamari, a packet of dry miso soup mix, and about half the lemon juice called for. I also didn't have (or miss) the hot pepper oil, though having some kind of hot sauce for diners to add to their own taste might be a good idea.
IreneEG
Charlotte, NC
4/22/2015
Made a half recipe for the two of us. It was very good and now we have leftovers for tomorrow.
nocarrots
Dallas, TX
2/13/2014
Just rated. I forgot to rate it with forks!
snowchild128
Penfield, NY.
8/3/2013
The prep time took a little longer but I'm not surprised. I also used kale instead of spinach just to try it and I put it in with the mushrooms, carrots, etc. It turned out excellent. I absolutely loved it and will definitley make it again. I'm also 1/2 Japanese! :)
snowchild128
Penfield, NY.
8/3/2013
After a recent trip to Japan I wanted to find a soup that would recreate an authentic Japanese experience. This soup did just that. The only change I made was to substitute chicken for the tofu as it is not a favorite in the house. It's easy to make and the result is as good as anything we ate in Tokyo.
Smalldeluxe
Brampton
6/3/2013
Very simple recipe recipe that could be easily adapted. I didn't have kombu and I used a tablespoon of ponzu sauce instead of lemon. Light and comforting.
Anonymous
Portland, OR
6/3/2013
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