Pumpkin and Tofu Miso Soup

Ingredients

• 1/4 small pumpkin – peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 ounces buckwheat noodles
• 3 1/2 ounces firm tofu, cubed
• 2 teaspoons miso paste
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 green onions, finely chopped on the diagonal
• 2 large red chile peppers, sliced on the diagonal
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons pickled ginger

Directions

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil; add pumpkin, ginger, and soy sauce. Cook pumpkin mixture for about 3 minutes. Add noodles to pumpkin mixture and cook until noodles are slightly cooked, about 4 minutes.

Stir tofu into pumpkin-noodle mixture and cook until pumpkin and noodles are almost tender, 5 to 10 more minutes.

Place 1 teaspoon miso paste into each serving bowl. Ladle cooking water into each bowl and whisk until miso is dissolved.

Divide pumpkin-tofu soup between the 2 serving bowls; garnish each with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 chopped green onion, 1 sliced red chile pepper, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and 1 tablespoon pickled ginger.