Mussels and Mushroom Miso Soup with Chuka Kuki Wakame

This is such a tasty miso soup! 

    
     This miso soup is full of great flavor.  Every sip reminds me of working in fishing villages on the east coast and Florida.  The shrimp and sun dried anchovy (ikan bilis) dashi broth is non traditional, but the flavor is perfect for mussels.  The mussels release their juices into the soup and add even more of a rich seafood flavor!
     Chuka Kuki Wakame is a pickled wakame seaweed salad.  The wakame is cut into a fine julienne and then is lightly pickled with mustard seed, dill seed and seasonings.  Chuka Kuki Wakame most often garnishes sushi platters or is served as a petite salad.  Chuka Kuki Wakame can be found pre-made in asian markets and the quality is very nice.
     When used to garnish a miso soup, the seasonings of the Chuka Kuki Wakame seaweed salad will flavor the miso soup, so the traditional seasoning the dashi broth to make miso soup becomes less important.  There is plenty of sesame oil in Chuka Kuki Wakame salad, so adding sesame oil is unnecessary.
   
     Shrimp and Ikan Bilis Dashi Broth Recipe:
     This recipe makes 1 portion of soup!
     Boil 2 1/2 cups of shrimp broth in a sauce pot over high heat.  (The liquid will reduce slightly when boiling.  That is why the extra liquid is needed!)
     Add 1 small handful of sun dried anchovies.
     Add 1 small handful of chopped rinsed salt packed wakame seaweed or chopped reconstituted dried kombu seaweed.
     Boil the dashi broth for ten minutes.
     Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a second sauce pot.
     Discard the anchovies and seaweed or use them in another recipe.
     Place the dashi broth and sauce pot over medium low heat.
   
     Mussels and Mushroom Miso Soup:
     Place the dashi broth over medium/medium low heat.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of minced ginger.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of rice vinegar.
     Add 3 to 5 drops of thin soy sauce.
     Add 1 tablespoon of miso paste, while whisking the broth.
     Add 4 raw mussels in their own shells.
     Gently simmer the soup, till the mussels open.
    
     Mussels and  Mushroom Miso Soup with Chuka Kuki Wakame:
     Place 1 small mound of Mussels and  Mushroom Miso Soup with Chuka Kuki Wakame (pickled wakame seaweed salad) on the bottom of a shallow soup bowl.  
     Remove the musseles from the soup and set them aside.
     Gently pour the miso broth into the soup bowl around the mound of pickled seaweed salad.
     Arrange the mussels in the soup around the seaweed salad.
     Float a few very thin slices of mushroom on top of the center of the soup.
     Sprinkle some thin sliced green onion on the center of the soup.
    
     This is a nice miso soup!  This Mussels and  Mushroom Miso Soup with Chuka Kuki Wakame can be served any time of day, but I cooked this miso soup for beakfast.  In Japan, miso soup is often served as a traditional breakfast.  Miso soup is a very healthy way to start a day.  
     The mustard seed and dill seed flavor of pickled seaweed salad adds a nice zesty flavor to this soup.  The mussels are tender and that add a rich flavor to the broth.  I like the flavor of this miso soup!  ...  Shawna