Instant Miso Soup on Go

All you need is a source of boiling water at lunchtime. Put the miso ball and ingredients in the bowl (or you can use a mug), add hot water, and let it sit for a few minutes while the ingredients expand and flavors amalgamate.

The basic rules

* If the added ingredients are salty, use 1 teaspoon miso for an average size miso bowl (which contains about 3/4 cups, or 180ml, of liquid). If the added ingredients are not salted, use 2 teaspoons. Put the miso paste in a twist of plastic wrap.
* Dried ingredients like wakame and finely chopped up ingredients can be combined directly in the miso.
* More watery ingredients like spinach leaves should be carried separately (just tuck them in a corner of your bento box).
* Big dried ingredients should also be carried separately - e.g. komachi-bu, dried wheat gluten.

Some ideas for miso ball miso soups

* Wakame: 1 miso ball combined with a pinch of dried wakame seaweed
* Finely chopped green onion with a 2 tsp. miso ball.
* A small umeboshi with a 1 tsp. miso ball. Interesting sour-salty combo.
* Baby spinach leaves with 2 tsp. miso ball
* Shredded lettuce with 2 tsp. miso ball
* Your favorite furikake with a 1 tsp. miso ball
* Shredded nori and a 2 tsp. miso ball
* Komachi-bu is a small form of fu, dried wheat gluten. It expands in hot water, and has an interesting texture. Use with a 2 tsp. miso ball, perhaps with some green onions.
* Finely cut aburaage (fried bean curd) with a 2 tsp. miso ball
* A spoonful of mixed frozen vegetables (the classic carrots-and-peas for example) with a 2 tsp. miso ball
* A spoonful of frozen or canned corn with a 2 tsp. miso ball