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Miso
by Jackie Miyasaka, from the April 2003 newsletter
Miso (MEE-soh) is a salty, fermented paste of soybeans and grain (barley or
rice). It sounds rather ominous, doesn’t it? To be sure, if eaten alone,
it is none too appetizing. But mixed with other ingredients, such as in the
recipes below, it adds a delicious and quintessentially Japanese flavor to
dishes. You can find it in the refrigerated section at the Co-op.
There are several basic varieties: rice miso (made from rice, soybeans, and salt), barley miso (made from barley, soybeans, and salt), and soybean miso (made from just soybeans and salt). Barley miso is used primarily in western Japan, soybean miso in central Japan, and rice miso elsewhere. Miso ranges in salt content from 5% to 15% and in color from yellow to very dark brown, the lightest being shiromiso, which has a lower salt content and tastes rather sweet. In general, one tablespoon of miso contains approximately one half teaspoon of salt.
Miso is produced by allowing steamed rice or barley to cool somewhat and then adding spores of mold to the grain and leaving it to culture for a few days. Then soybeans are cooked, crushed, and mixed with the cultured rice or barley along with salt and water. This mash is put into wooden vats to ferment, ideally for 12 months. The fermentation process transforms the mash into a very nutritious paste that breaks down soy protein into peptides and amino acids, which can be quickly absorbed by the body. This may be why a traditional Japanese diet consisting of a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, and a plate of pickled vegetables enabled the Japanese to develop such a long lifespan.
Miso soup is very simple and quick to prepare, not to mention versatile. The following recipe is for basic miso soup, but you may experiment with various combinations, such as potatoes cut into matchstick strips with thinly sliced onions and tempe; bean sprouts and napa cabbage with thinly sliced pork; shredded daikon and carrots with scallions; or sliced shiitake mushrooms and spinach. The possibilities are endless. Miso only needs to be cooked for a short time. Overcooking destroys the flavor. Vegetables and other ingredients that take longer to cook should be added to the water or fish stock first, and then just before serving, stir in the miso until it dissolves.
Miso Soup with Tofu, Wakame Sea Vegetable and Scallions
1 piece of 4-inch-long wakame sea vegetable
3 cups water or fish stock
3 1/2 tablespoons miso
1/2 block firm or soft tofu, cut into roughly 1/3-inch cubes
3 tablespoons very thinly sliced scallions
Soak wakame 10 minutes in water to soften, and then cut into one-inch lengths. Bring water or stock to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce the heat to medium, add the miso, and stir until it dissolves. Add the tofu and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wakame and scallions, and cook for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
In a Japanese meal, miso soup is served not alone as a first course, but together with other dishes. Traditionally, it is an essential breakfast dish, but it can be eaten at any time of the day. The soup is sipped from a bowl while chopsticks are used to eat the solid ingredients. When miso soup stands for a few minutes, the miso separates from the broth, so stir the soup before taking a mouthful.
In addition to miso soup, miso is used as a marinade, in pickles, and in simmered dishes. In the following recipe, it is used as a flavoring for sautéed eggplant.
Sautéed Eggplant with Miso Sauce
1 small American eggplant or 3 Japanese or Italian eggplants (about 1/2 pound total)
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon miso
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
2 tablespoons fish stock or water
Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch disks, and then cut the disks into quarters. Soak eggplant in water for 10-15 minutes to get rid of bitterness. Mix miso, sugar, mirin, and stock or water in a small dish, and stir until smooth. Heat sesame oil in pan, add eggplant, and sauté over high heat until soft. Lower heat. Add miso mixture and continue sautéing over low heat until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Serve immediately as a side dish.
Jackie Miyasaka works as a freelance Japanese-English translator in Pullman.
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