Winter Melon Miso Soup

I felt so happy after making this soup and it looks beautiful and colourful – the pink flower, the green spring onion, the brown mushroom – the colour of the nature. Well, I got the idea of adding winter melon in miso soup after reading the post on Gastronomy Shojin Ryori is rather simple to make even without vegetarian miso at home, I can use soya bean paste for replacement. Just remember, you have off the heat prior to adding miso paste or soya bean paste. Add ½ teaspoon of sake or cooking wine to the soup, if desired.

The pink flower is optional. I have radish and beetroot at home, so I use those to make these pink flowers. If you have cookies cutting, it will be much easier to cut the shape of the flower. By soaking in beetroot slice and a bit of the juice, it make a lovely pink flower using natural colouring.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 75g sharkfin melon shreds
° few kelps shreds
° 2 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked
° 1 slice ginger
° 2 slices radish (optional), peeled and cut into flower shape
° 2 slices beetroot (optional)
° 500ml water
° ¾ tablespoons soya bean paste or miso paste or to taste
° ½ teaspoon chopped spring onion or some fresh coriander leaves, for garnish
° ¼ teaspoon roasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Method
1. Place all the sharkfin melon, ginger, kelps shreds, mushroom, radish and water in a pot. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Remove the radish slice and soak with the beetroot slices for 5 minutes to make pink flower.
3. Add the soya bean paste or miso paste to the soup.
4. Ladle into individual serving bowls, place the radish flower, garnish with sesame seed, spring onion or coriander leaves, and serve.