Miso & Rice Soup with Green Vegetables
A comforting, gut-friendly bowl: fermented miso, tender rice and green vegetables to nourish your microbiome in one warming soup.
Ingredients
- 80g round white rice (or white basmati rice)
- 2 tablespoons mild white miso paste (shiro miso, unpasteurised if possible, without added garlic or onion)
- 1 litre filtered water or homemade vegetable stock (without garlic or onion)
- 100g fresh baby spinach (or frozen spinach, defrosted)
- 150g pak choi (roughly 1 small head), leaves and stems separated
- 1 medium courgette (approx. 200g), cut into small dice or thin rounds
- 150g firm tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 piece of fresh ginger (approx. 2cm), finely grated
- 2 spring onion stems (green part only), finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (added as a finishing drizzle)
- 1 teaspoon tamari sauce (gluten-free if needed) — optional, adjust to taste
- A pinch of white sesame seeds, to garnish — optional
Instructions
Preparation Steps
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Rinse and pre-cook the rice. Place the white rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear. Transfer to a small saucepan with 250ml of cold water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover and cook for 12–14 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave covered while you prepare the soup. This step gives you soft, tender rice that is easier to digest and won't cloud the broth.
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Prepare the vegetables. Wash the pak choi thoroughly. Separate the stems from the leaves: cut the stems into small pieces roughly 1cm thick and set the leaves aside whole or roughly torn. Cut the courgette into small, even dice (roughly 1cm) or into thin rounds. Rinse the baby spinach. Cut the firm tofu into small cubes of about 1cm. Even, small cuts encourage uniform cooking and better digestive tolerance.
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Start the broth. Pour the litre of water or vegetable stock into a large saucepan. Add the freshly grated ginger. Bring gently to a simmer over a medium heat — avoid a vigorous boil. Allow the ginger to infuse in the hot broth for 2 minutes to release its flavour and warmth.
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Cook the vegetables in the broth. Add the diced courgette and pak choi stems to the simmering broth. Cook over a low heat for 4–5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften while still retaining a slight bite. Add the tofu cubes and pak choi leaves and continue cooking for a further 2 minutes. Finally, add the baby spinach and immediately remove the pan from the heat: the residual warmth will gently wilt the leaves without overcooking them.
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Dissolve the miso — the key step. This is the most important step for preserving the benefits of miso. Allow the soup to cool slightly below boiling point (ideally around 60–70°C — the broth should be hot but not bubbling). In a small bowl, ladle out 3–4 tablespoons of hot broth and whisk in the 2 tablespoons of miso paste using a fork or small whisk until you have a smooth, lump-free mixture. Pour this back into the pan off the heat and stir gently to combine. Never boil the miso once added: excessive heat destroys the live microorganisms produced during fermentation, significantly reducing its benefits for your gut microbiome.
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Assemble the bowls. Divide the cooked rice between two large, warmed bowls. Ladle the vegetable and tofu broth over the top, making sure each bowl gets a good share of all the ingredients. Finish each bowl with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, a scattering of sliced green spring onion, and, if you like, a pinch of white sesame seeds for a little crunch.
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Taste, adjust and serve. Taste before adding anything extra — miso is naturally salty and deeply savoury. If you'd like a touch more umami, add a few drops of tamari, but go gradually. Serve immediately, piping hot.
💡 Gut-Friendly Tips & Variations
For optimal digestive comfort (IBS / sensitive gut):
- Always choose a miso paste without garlic or onion in the ingredients list — read the label carefully.
- Use only the green part of the spring onion: it is generally much better tolerated by those sensitive to FODMAPs than the white bulb.
- White rice is preferable to brown rice if your gut is easily irritated: it is gentler, less fermentable and easier to digest.
- Pak choi, spinach and courgette are among the best-tolerated vegetables on a low-FODMAP diet — they provide fibre and micronutrients without overburdening digestion.
To maximise the microbiome benefit:
- Choose an unpasteurised miso, sold chilled in health food shops or Japanese grocers: it contains live microorganisms from the fermentation process that are beneficial for your gut microbiome.
- Always remember never to boil the miso once it has been added to the soup.
Possible variations:
- Replace the pak choi with Swiss chard leaves or finely sliced green beans.
- Add a small handful of rehydrated wakame seaweed (1–2g dried) for a boost of iodine and marine minerals — soak in cold water for 5 minutes before using.
- Replace the tofu with cooked edamame for a slightly milder variation.
Storage: This soup will keep for 24 hours in the fridge, stored separately from the rice (keep the rice in its own container to prevent it from swelling and absorbing all the broth). Reheat very gently over a low heat without allowing it to boil, to preserve the miso.