What is Miso Soup?
Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup made with a base of dashi (a type of broth) and miso paste. It’s a staple in Japanese cuisine and is often served as a side dish in meals.
What is Onigiri?
Onigiri, also known as rice balls, are a popular Japanese snack or meal made from rice formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes and often wrapped in nori (seaweed). They can be filled with various ingredients or simply seasoned.
Origin of Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes originally grew in areas like Mexico and Peru in South America. They were spread to Europe and Asia by explorers. Sweet potatoes were introduced to Japan in the 1600s. They first came to Ryukyu (now Okinawa) and then to Satsuma (now Kagoshima Prefecture). “Imo” means “potatoes” in Japanese. This is why they are called “Satsuma-imo” in Japanese.
Nutritional Benefits of Sweet Potatoes
Vitamins: Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, which is good for your eyes and skin. It helps you see better in the dark and keeps your skin healthy.
Dietary Fiber: Sweet potatoes are high in dietary fiber, which helps with digestion and prevents constipation.
Potassium: Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium, which helps balance your body’s fluids and keeps your heart healthy.
Chlorogenic Acid: Found in the skin of sweet potatoes, it helps with fat burning.
Sweet potato onigiri and Miso soup
Equipment
- Strainer
- Rice cooker
- Rice paddle to mix rice when it's done. You can use normal spatula or spoon.
- cutting board
- kitchen knife
- Small pot
- Lid
- ladle
- measurement cup
- tbsp
- chopsticks
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Rice
- 100 g Sweet potato about 1 small potato
- 1 cup Rice
- 1.5 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Sake
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- Black sesame seeds optional
Sweet Potato and Vegetable Miso Soup
- 5~7 g Dried shiitake mushrooms 2 to 3 pieces of whole dried mushroom, or 1/4 cup of sliced dried mushroom
- 5~7 g Kombu(Dried kelp) about 2inch x 4inch
- 2 tbsp Miso
- 100 g Sweet potato about 1 small potato
- 1 Carrot
- 4 leaves Cabbage
- 1 tbs Ginger(minced)
- 1 Green onions for garnish
- Please feel free to add any vegies you like or you have in your fridge
Instructions
Making Sweet Potato Rice
- Wash the rice. Measure 1 cup of rice and place it in a sieve. Rinse under running water.
- Drain the water and put the rice in a rice cooker. Add 1.5 cups of water, sake, and soy sauce (1 tablespoon each). Let it soak for at least 30 minutes.
- Wash the sweet potato well. Peel it and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Place the sweet potato on top of the rice.
- After 30 minutes of soaking, turn on the rice cooker and cook the rice.
- Once cooked, mix the rice with a rice paddle and let it steam for 10 minutes with the lid on.
Making Miso Soup
- First, make the dashi (soup stock) with kombu and shiitake mushrooms. Put 2 .5cups of water, shiitake mushrooms, and kombu in a pot and simmer about for 3 minutes. Please stop heating before it comes to a boil. Let it sit after heating.
- Mean while, wash and peel the sweet potato, carrot, and cabbage. Cut them into bite-sized pieces. Mince the ginger.
- Before adding the vegetables to the pot, remove the kombu and shiitake mushrooms. Personally, I leave them in because both shiitake mushrooms and kombu are packed with beneficial nutrients.
- Add the carrot, sweet potato, cabbage, and ginger to the pot. Simmer over low to medium heat until the sweet potato is tender.
- Once the sweet potato is cooked, turn off the heat and dissolve 2 tablespoons of miso into the soup.
Serving
- Shape the sweet potato rice into rice balls.
- Pour the miso soup into bowls and garnish with green onions.
Storage
- If you have leftovers, please consume them within two days when stored in the refrigerator. You can make a lot of onigiri and freeze them. When you’re ready to eat, just heat them in the microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes.
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