Instructions: * Note: Red (aka) miso pastes like sendai and haccho are dark brown in color, and robust in flavor. White (shiro) miso pastes like saikyo are yellow in color, lighter and sweeter than red miso paste. Some miso pastes such as inaka miso, koji miso and mugi miso incorporate grains of wheat, rice, barley or soybeans to create a variety of textures and tastes. Some are saltier than the others, so when making miso soup, always taste the soup and make adjustments.

To make the Dashi: Using scissors, make several crosswise cuts in the konbu. This helps to extract the flavor during cooking. Place konbu and water in medium saucepan and let it stand 15 minutes. Cook on medium heat until water almost boils. Remove konbu just before water boils to avoid fishy odor.

When the water boils, add bonito flakes and cook over low to medium-low heat for about 30 seconds. Turn off heat. When bonito flakes have settled near the bottom, about 10 minutes, strain them through a very fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth and discard them. Dont stir the stock because it will cloud the dashi, which should have a light golden color. This will keep five days in the refrigerator. (Makes 3 1/2 cups)

Peel the potato, carrot and daikon radish, then slice them about 1/8-inch thick. You might have to quarter the potato and daikon if they are big.

Heat the oil in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat and cook the chicken, potato, daikon and carrot 1 minute. Add the Dashi and cook over high heat until the vegetables are tender but still firm, 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer.

In a small bowl, dissolve the red miso and 1 1/2 tablespoons saikyo miso with a few tablespoons of the hot Dashi, and add the mixture to the saucepan, along with the tofu. Taste the soup and add more miso paste, Dashi or water, depending on how strong it tastes.

Pour the soup into serving bowls, sprinkle each bowl with the chopped green onion, ginger and sesame seeds and serve at once.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

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