This time of year is all about soup, what with cold season in full swing. You know how it is... you drag yourself home from work, head full of cement, and all you want is something warm and comforting to eat that will make you feel better. If you're looking for lighter soup that's nourishing and easy to digest -- as opposed to a thick, rich stew -- you might consider having a big bowl of miso soup. More interesting that your plain old chicken soup, miso is comfort food with a little international flair.

For those uninitiated in the ways of Japanese cuisine, miso is made from fermented soybeans and other grains, which are made into thick paste that is rich in protein and nutrients. While there are many different kinds of miso, the two you're most likely to find at your local grocery store are red miso and white miso. Red miso is saltier, having been fermented longer, and white miso is a little lighter in flavor. For making miso soup, you want to pick up a tub of white miso, also known as shiro miso. Note: This stuff lasts forever in the fridge. Seriously. I think my tub of miso is over a year old and it still tastes the exact same. Also, a little goes a long way, so don't buy a huge vat of miso unless you plan on willing it to your grandkids.

Another important ingredient in miso soup is dashi, or Japanese soup stock. Dashi is the base of many Japanese soups and sauces. While you can just buy dashi mix from the grocery store, I highly recommend making your own dashi -- just like chicken stock, it's way better when made from scratch! Dashi isn't vegetarian by default, but you can find veg dashi at Asian grocery stores.

Miso soup is a particularly good soup to eat when you're sick, due to its ample protein and high electrolyte content. Plus, fermented foods are easier to digest if your gut is sluggish from the virus du jour at your kid's school, so if you're just generally feeling the ick, a bowl of miso soup might be the one thing that will make you feel better.

There are several places in the Bay Area to get an incredible bowl of miso soup:

Cha-Ya Vegetarian Japanese Restaurant
1686 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 981-1213
-and-
762 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 252-7825

Okoze Sushi
1207 Union St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 567-3397

Kahoo Ramen
4330 Moorpark Ave
San Jose, CA 95129
(408) 255-8244

Gombei Japanese Restaurant
193 Jackson St
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 279-4311

Norikonoko Japanese Restaurant
2556 Telegraph Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 548-1274

O Chamé
1830 4th St
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 841-8783

Some Japanese restaurants still use a packaged dry mix, so if you're going somewhere else, I'd call ahead to make sure you're getting a quality bowl of soup made with fresh ingredients. Pre-fab miso soup is ok, but once you've had the real thing, you'll never go back.

Speaking of the real thing, why don't you try making miso soup yourself at home? It's super easy, and will be leagues better than most of the stuff you'll find in restaurants.

Homemade Miso Soup Recipe
Makes: 2 bowls of soup

Ingredients:
1 6x6-inch piece of kombu, soaked 30-minutes to overnight in 5 cups of water

3 tablespoons bonito flakes

1/2 pound silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 tablespoons white miso paste

1 spring onion, sliced, for garnish

Method:
1. After the kombu has soaked overnight, bring the seaweed and its soak water into a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, then allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Add bonito flakes and remove from heat.
2. Allow soup to steep for another 10 minutes, then strain the broth into another pot. Bring to boil over a medium-low heat. Add tofu and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
3. Ladle out about 1/2 cup of broth into a small bowl and mix in miso paste until it is completely dissolved and there are no lumps. Pour the miso into the rest of the broth and stir well. Place over medium heat just until the soup begins to simmer, then remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Top with sliced onion for garnish.

Still feeling sluggish? Here are a few other soups that will make you feel better. They're great if you're perfectly healthy, too:

• Homemade Chicken Soup
• Mom's Turkey Soup
• Tortilla Soup
• Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
• Gluten-Free Matzoh Ball Soup

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and the Asian American Journalists Association San Francisco Chapter is holding it's annual fundraiser, East West Eats, An Evening with the Bay Area's best Asia American chefs. Participating restaurants include Betelnut, Straits Restaurants, Butterfly, Junnoon, Namu, Poleng Lounge, Ponzu, Red Lantern, Three Seasons, Maharani and Hilton San Francisco.

The event is a great opportunity to enjoy dishes as well as wines, from some of the most exciting Bay Area Asian restaurants in a fabulous setting, the San Francisco Ferry Building. The event raises funds for student scholarships for rising young journalists.

What: East West Eats

Cost: Tickets are $100 until April 25th
When: Thursday May 8th, 2008, 7 pm
Where: San Francisco Ferry Building, upstairs
How: Purchase tickets online or send a check, along with contact information to:
ATTN: Johnny Liu
AAJA San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
2062 Arapaho Place
Fremont, CA 94539
Why: I look forward to this event, not only because it supports a good cause, but because it's not a mad crush like some fundraisers can be. It's well-organized and the food is really outstanding. This year I'm particularly excited to try the cuisine from Namu and Red Lantern. Last year, the dishes from recently opened contemporary Indian restaurant Junnoon were a big hit.

I'm also a big fan Tim Luym, a Chronicle Rising Star chef. Meals at Poleng Lounge are filled with tantalizing flavors and textures from across Asia including the Philippines, Vietnam, China and India. The small plate menu allows you to try and share more dishes like this one, Beer Braised Oxtail Dumplings.

Beer Braised Oxtail Dumplings

Ingredients:
5 pounds oxtails, cut into 2 inch pieces, fat trimmed
Kosher Salt
5 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup Shaoxing Rice Wine or dry sherry
2 cups light beer
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 ea dried tangerine peel
1 stick cinnamon, 2 inches
2 star anise
2 cloves
2 carrots, peeled
5 lemongrass stalks, bruised
3 scallions cut into 3 inch sections
2 thumbs ginger, peeled (1 thumb sliced into thin matchsticks for garnish)
8 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Thai chili peppers, crushed
1 head napa cabbage, cut in half
10 dried shitake mushrooms, stemmed

Dumpling wrappers (potsticker or wonton work well)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Filling:
1 1/2 cup green onions, chopped (reserve 1/2 cup for garnish)
2 Tablespoons minced ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sesame oil

Preparation:
1. Salt oxtails. Brown oxtails on all sides and set aside. Deglaze pan with beer. Place all ingredients except napa cabbage back in pot and add water to slightly cover the oxtails.

2. Braise for 3 hours or until oxtails are fork tender.

3. Add napa cabbage and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

4. Remove napa cabbage and oxtails. Strain and reserve broth and reduce by half.

5. Pick meat off bone and set aside. Roughly chop the napa cabbage and mushrooms.

6. Mix all filling ingredients with meat, cabbage, and mushrooms. Make a slurry from the cornstarch and water.

7. Fill wrappers with 1 1/2 T of dumpling filling, dip your finger in the slurry and and seal edges of the wrapper.

8. In a pot of boiling water, cook dumplings for 3 minutes. Transfer dumplings into a bowl and spoon over reserved liquid. Garnish with chopped scallions and sliced ginger.

Another great Asian culinary event is Taste of Asia at the Asian Art Museum. The Grand Tasting will feature food and beverages from Anzu, Asia de Cuba, Betelnut, Bong Su, Butterfly, Dosa, E&O Trading, Poleng Lounge, Red Lantern, Roy's, Straits, The Tonga Room, Yank Sing, and Yoshi's.

Culinary seminars the next day include Culinary Adventures Through Asia with Saveur editor James Oseland, and San Francisco: The Culinary Pioneers with Cecilia Chang, Patricia Unterman and Chuck Williams and a panel discussion on how new and emerging media on the web are changing the world of restaurants.

What: Taste of Asia
Cost: Tickets are $125 for the Grand Tasting and $25 for the Culinary Seminars
When: Grand Tasting Friday April 25th, 7pm Culinary Seminars Saturday April 26th 11am
Where: Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St, San Francisco
How: Purchase tickets online
For more information, call 415-581-3788
Why: This is the second year of this popular event and is a great excuse to head to hte museum. Throughout the gala, guests will have full access to the museum’s collection and world-class exhibitions. The experience will also be enhanced by performances including live music and dancing.