From cubed tofu to sliced vegetables, miso soup has a salty umami flavor with essential nutrients from the ingredient combination. However, sometimes miso soup may be too salty, and reducing sodium levels becomes a priority.
Minimizing the number of sodium ions will reduce side effects that harm the body, especially in people suffering from high blood pressure. It’s possible to provide the optimal flavor without adding salt to the miso soup recipe preparation.
How do you reduce salt in miso soup? In order to reduce salt in miso soup, consider using white miso instead of yellow or red. Furthermore, adjust the ingredients in soup by including more vegetables and tofu, and put less miso.
The key to fixing a salty miso soup is to season the broth gradually. The soup gets saltier the longer it continues to boil since water evaporates, increasing the level of salt remaining.
This is why it’s extremely important to season the miso soup towards the end of its preparation just before serving. Keep tasting the soup while add a little miso at a time until the soup attains the desirable taste.
It is possible to dilute a salty miso soup by adding more water into the broth. Equally so, slowly add water to the soup and continue to taste while diluting.
In addition, adding acids such as vinegar or lemon juice can assist in cutting the saltiness of a miso soup by distracting the tongue. However, the method works better if the miso soup is not too salty, and just needs a little balance.
Starchy ingredients such as noodles, rice, or potato absorb salt excess salt quite effectively. They also help to thicken the soup, but this veers the recipe away from a traditional miso soup.
As a result, a healthy miso soup should use salt in moderation without pushing the boundary too far. People suffering from high blood pressure should stick with a reduced sodium miso recipe, using less salt to moderate the intake of sodium ions in the body.
Whether you are making miso soup with red, yellow, or white miso, it is difficult to control the saltiness when making a batch of soup. This article answers frequently asked questions about reducing salt in miso soup to attain a perfect balance of flavor without too much sodium.
Is miso soup too salty?
Yes, miso soup is very salty. In fact, most miso soup recipes are considered high in sodium.
This is partially due to the fact that miso paste is made with fermented soybeans, and salt is used to control the fermentation process.
The main ingredient of miso soup is miso paste, which has a relatively high amount of sodium. One tablespoon or 17g contains about 630mg of sodium.
If you are prone to hypertension, might need other ingredients to moderate the sodium in the soup.
Nonetheless, despite miso soup being associated with high sodium ion concentration, it doesn’t affect cardiovascular health when consumed in moderate quantities of one serving per day. On the contrary, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases by moderating the amount of cholesterol in the body.
It is possible to attain a less salty miso soup by using vegetables, onions, tofu, and noodles for flavor, and minimizing the ratio of miso paste in the broth.
What makes miso soup salty?
The main ingredient in miso soup is the miso paste, a fermented food. Salt acts as a preservative to control the fermentation of the miso.
Other ingredients added for flavor in the miso soup are also sources of excess salt. For instance, seaweed and dashi broth, which is made from dried bonito and kombu.
Typically, one serving of miso soup contains 1-2 grams of salt coming from the various ingredients.
Can you get low salt miso?
Yes, you can get low salt miso. There are many brands that offer reduced sodium miso in white, yellow, and red flavors.
Get mild and unpasteurized rice miso made by exposing the miso to air, forming a white yeast with less salt than ordinary darker miso.
A low salty miso soup can be made using dried wakame seaweed, dashi powder, tofu, miso paste, and green onions. It will still have a salty taste, but you can control the sodium level by minimizing the amount of miso and not seasoning with any salt.
When using low salt miso to make soup, instead of tablespoon, use 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of sodium free broth to make the soup less salty, but still flavorful.
How do I reduce sodium in a miso soup?
Reducing the amount of sodium in a miso soup is possible by using a low salt miso paste in the recipe. As a result, it is possible to eliminate high sodium intake and prevent a majority of the miso dangers.
Cut up to 60% of the sodium from miso soup by following these steps:
- When added to the miso soup, potassium-rich food can promote sodium elimination. Such foods include mushrooms, tofu, potatoes, wakame, kombu, daikon, or soybeans.
- Include starchy ingredients such as noodles and rice to absorb the excessive sodium.
- Avoid dark miso paste, it’s advisable to use white miso while making miso soup with less salt.
- Season the miso soup gradually at the end of preparation.
- Dilute the miso soup by adding more water into the soup.
- Add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to cut the saltiness of miso soup without destroying the flavor.
Low Salt Miso Soup: Conclusion
Miso soup is associated with many health benefits, but it can seem very unhealthy for a person concerned about the sodium content, especially those prone to hypertension.
The best way to make a miso soup healthier is to minimize as much salt as possible by using a low-salt miso paste or reducing the amount of miso paste in the recipe.
Whether low sodium or regular miso, go with white miso instead of red miso because it has less salt content.
Adjust the soup with a small amount of miso at the end of cooking just before serving. If you continue to boil the soup after the miso is added, then evaporation causes the sodium levels to become more concentrated.
Dilute salty soup with extra water, or a little bit of acid may make it balance out.
The best way is to use a less sodium-concentrated miso paste and use other ingredients to enhance the flavors. Adding vegetables, tofu, noodles, and potatoes can make it less salty, while resulting in a more flavorful broth.