My pumpkin had almost no sweetness. Barley miso saved the soup.
This is part two of my three-miso series. Last time it was Hatcho miso in Sloppy Joe hand pies. This time I used barley miso with a red kuri squash and soy milk, so it's dairy-free.
I always put barley miso in my pumpkin soup. Barley koji has a soft sweetness of its own, and this time I really needed it. I also added a little koji syrup. Amazake works too, or a bit of maple syrup.
When I tasted it again about two hours later, I liked it even more.
Ingredients (about 4 small servings)
400 g roasted red kuri flesh, skin and seeds removed
80 g onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
12 ml olive oil (4 ml for roasting, 8 ml for the pot)
200 ml low-salt vegetable broth, plus more to thin
200 ml plain unsweetened soy milk, plus more to taste
16 g barley miso to start
Koji syrup, amazake, or maple syrup, if your squash isn't sweet
Black pepper, olive oil, and thyme to finish
How I make it
Halve and deseed the squash. Rub the cut sides with 4 ml oil and roast cut-side down at 400°F. Check after 30 minutes and keep going until it's very tender. Once it's cool enough to handle, scoop out 400 g of flesh.
Soften the onion in 8 ml oil for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds, then the squash and broth. Simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes.
Blend until smooth, following your blender's hot-liquid instructions.
Add the soy milk and warm it gently. Thin with broth if needed.
Turn off the heat. Mix the miso with about 2 tbsp of the warm soup, then stir it back in. Taste, then add a little sweetener or more soy milk if you want. Finish with pepper, a few drops of olive oil, and thyme.
Dairy-free. Vegan when the broth and miso are vegan. Contains soy and gluten.