Roasted Mushroom Noodle Soup

For the broth (dashi):
From 8 to 12 hours in advance, put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and add the water. Weight them down with another dish so they stay submerged. After they are done soaking, remove mushrooms from water, squeeze excess liquid into the soaking liquid, and discard stems (or save them to make stock). Reserve hydrated mushrooms for soup. Strain liquid into a clean bowl through a fine mesh strainer, lined with a damp paper towel. Set aside.

When ready to make soup, heat the filtered water and the kombu to a simmer in a medium to large saucepan. Just before water boils, remove kombu and discard. Add liquid from mushrooms to kombu liquid, turn off heat, and set aside for soup.

For the soup:
Preheat oven to 425 F.

Toss the three types of mushrooms with the oil and 2 teaspoons tamari in a rimmed dish, spread in an even layer, and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, stirring once, until mushrooms are tender and liquid has evaporated. If mushrooms stick to pan, use a rubber spatula to gently loosen.

Cook noodles according to package instructions, being careful not to overcook them (check frequently). Strain and set aside, tossing with a little oil or occasionally rinsing with lukewarm water to keep them from sticking together.

In a large pot add white and light green scallions to the mushroom and kombu dashi (liquid) or use mushroom or vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.

In a small dish, mix miso with about ¼ cup of the simmering broth until smooth, then add it back into the pot. Reduce heat to low, add remaining soy sauce, and keep warm.

To serve, arrange one fourth of the noodles, roasted mushrooms, and green scallions in each of four soup bowls, then add broth to cover. Serve immediately, or store components separately for leftovers, assembling soup just before heating.

Notes:
1. To keep prep time to a minimum; boil the noodles, chop the scallions, and season and heat the broth while the mushrooms roast. Using homemade dashi adds about 20 minutes of active prep time to the dish.
2. To simplify or keep the soup on a budget, use about 1 pound total of any type of mushrooms you like, cutting them into the specified size before roasting. Roasting the mushrooms is less work than sauteeing and really helps the already-earthy mushroom flavor shine through in the final presentation.
3. Most of the Asian ingredients in the recipe are actually quite common. See the related blog post for links to online purchasing options and details of what section to check at your local grocery store.