Sweet Potato Soup with dashi & coconut
The dashi broth in this soup recipe requires a very delicate cooking process not to disturb the Kombu. Niki Nakayama and her partner even used chopsticks for stirring, and I did the same. It was a nice slow pace, almost meditative.
The recipe below combines those from Niki and Bon Appetit, and my personal touches inspired by my good friend and chef, Andrew Klamar.
Ingredients
Small Roasted Sweet Potato
2-3 Roasted Carrots
Coconut Milk
White miso (1/8-1/4 cup to taste)
Dashi Broth
Shiitake Mushrooms
Turmeric Powder - just a one finger pinch
Chili Oil (see note below to make your own)
Preheat oven to 450°. Roast potato and carrots on a rimmed baking sheet until tender, 35–45 minutes. Let cool, then scoop out flesh; discard skin.
Meanwhile, combine kombu and 4 cups water in a large pot. Let sit until kombu softens. Stir carefully and bring to a low simmer - this should take 30-45 minutes. Immediately remove from heat once water starts simmering. Add bonito flakes and stir once to submerge them. Remove bonito flakes after 30 seconds. Strain dashi through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl.
Transfer the dashi to a blender. Add sweet potato, carrots, coconut milk, miso, and turmeric. Blend until smooth. Strain into pot and bring to a very gentle simmer. Add a touch of lime juice if you’d like.
Divide soup among bowls. Top with shiitake mushrooms, then drizzle with chili oil. You can also top with toasted coconut flakes or roasted peanuts (my preference).
Note: Chili Oil - Warm a 1/4 cup of Canola (or any oil you prefer) with a few tablespoons of chili flakes and touch of salt. Warm for 5 minutes or so and strain.
