Miso Carrot Soup

From Canadian Living.

Beat the spring blues with this sunny and bright orange soup. It's as flavourful as it is good for you. For a pretty presentation, sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions and drizzle with a little more sesame oil.

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) minced fresh ginger
• 1 bag (900 g) carrots, diced
• 1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
• 2 cups (500 mL) no-salted-added vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) white miso
• 2 tsp (10 mL) unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tsp (10 mL) sesame oil
• 
  

InDutch oven, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, celery and ginger, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in carrots, sugar and salt; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Stir in 6 cups water and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Using immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. Reheat over low heat. 

Whisk in miso paste; cook, whisking, until combined and warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and sesame oil.

Tip from The Test Kitchen: Miso is a fermented soybean paste that's frequently used in Japanese cooking. It comes in a wide range of colours (white, yellow, red and dark brown are common) and varieties; some are made with the addition of grains, such as brown rice (genmai) or barley (mugi). Generally, the lighter colours are more delicate in flavour. For this light spring soup, white miso is the best choice.