One of the highlights of a meal at a good Japanese restaurant is miso soup. This is usually clear, often with chopped green onions, diced tofu, oriental dried mushroom slices, and delicate spices.

For home use, several brands of dehydrated miso soup are available in oriental and health-food stores. But a better way is to make your own, customized to your taste. Here is one of my recipes, which makes a complete meal. This soup is not clear.

Ingredients per person:
* two cups water
* angel hair pasta, about a half inch circle"s worth
* fresh miso paste, from health-food store or similar,
about a rounded tablespoonful
* one of the following enhancements --
-- about half cup of diced or crushed firm tofu
-- one or two whipped eggs
-- the tofu with one egg
*optional: green spice mix, fresh ground black pepper, diced onions or garlic, and tablespoon of a good soy sauce

These quantities were determined by trial and error. Vary to suit your own tastes.

The only negative about this recipe is that boiling miso can kill the healthful fermentation culture. If you have a food blender, you can pulverize the miso in some water, to add after the pasta is cooked. Otherwise, proceed as follows.

Place the water in a large enough pot, and bring to boil on stove top. Reduce heat, add miso, and use fork or spoon to break miso paste into small pieces. The angel hair pasta will cook in less than 5 minutes, as judged by it being very limp or by not being tough to bite test.

Add all other ingredients of your choice, and stir. The egg will be cooked by the soup into "egg drops".

Remove from heat. Cooling can be helped with one or two ice cubes stirred in, or 3 to 5 minutes placement in refrigerator.

Orientals would eat such a noodle soup with chop sticks, and a bowl that can be lifted to the mouth. Culturally deprived North Americans can use fork and spoon, alternating, to get a similar result.

This is a high protein meatless meal. I make it when I am in a hurry, or want something different for lunch, or just plain feel in the mood. Divided in half, it can be a side dish for dinner.

Bon appetit!

** Diet with FACTS, not MYTHS. **