Miso has been on my mind a lot lately. I just taught a fermentation class at Lincoln Land Community College and demonstrated how to make miso. Then, this week, I read that astronauts aboard the International Space Station successfully made miso in space. So today’s column will be all about miso and its most well-known application, miso soup.
Miso, a savory, earthy condiment common in Japanese cuisine, is made by fermenting cooked soybeans, salt and koji, a mold from the fungus Aspergillus oryzae that grows on rice and barley. It’s the key ingredient in miso soup and can be used in other soups, ramen and hot pot dishes.
Miso soup is a standard part of the Japanese diet and is served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is often consumed at the very end of a meal as a way to aid in digestion. An estimated 75% of the Japanese population consumes miso soup daily. At its most basic, miso soup is made of two ingredients: miso and dashi. Scallions, tofu and dried wakame (a type of seaweed) are common add-ins. Miso soup is traditionally served in a small bowl and sipped without a spoon. Chopsticks are used to pick up pieces of food like tofu and scallions.
Dashi is a Japanese soup stock with a savory umami flavor. It is an essential ingredient in many dishes and particularly miso soup. Umami is a distinct taste that is separate from sweet, sour, salty and bitter, and it is essential to the deep, savory flavor profile of miso soup. Kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (dried fish flakes) are the most common ingredients in dashi. Kombu has high levels of the amino acid glutamate, and katsuobushi has high levels of the nucleotide inosinate. These components impart umami individually, but when used together, umami increases eightfold. Vegan versions swap out dried shiitakes for the katsuobushi. Dried shiitakes contain guanylate, which, when paired with kombu, have a similar multiplicative effect on umami. Unlike the long-simmered stocks of Western cuisines, dashi can be made in minutes, similar to brewing a pot of tea. While dashi’s flavor is subtle on its own, it plays a supporting role by enhancing the flavors of other savory ingredients it’s paired with. Though instant dashi powder can be used as a shortcut, the homemade version is far superior.
Shopping for miso in an Asian market can be intimidating. Miso can be categorized by its color: shiro (white) miso, shinsu (yellow) miso and aka (red) miso. The darker the miso, the longer it has fermented and the stronger its flavor. Miso can also be categorized by the grain used: kome (rice) miso, mugi (barley) miso, mame (soybean) miso and awase (blended) miso. For a mild, sweet-flavored miso soup, I recommend shiro miso. I like using aka or shinsu miso for a richer, saltier miso soup.
The rising popularity of fermented foods has resulted in our markets being flooded with low-quality, mass-produced miso. A reliable choice is Miso Master from Great Eastern Sun, an American company based in North Carolina. Great Eastern Sun produces several varieties of miso with approachable, descriptive labeling. I met with the company’s owner and can attest to the quality of its products.
Miso can be used for more than miso soup, and I use it extensively in my cooking. I like to marinate a fish with a paste of miso thinned down with sake, mirin and maple syrup. I combine miso with butter and maple syrup to top a roasted sweet potato. Sauté mushrooms with a spoonful of miso and a splash of soy sauce, then add a little cream and some grated Parmesan and you’ll have a delicious pasta sauce.
Traditional miso soup
Never boil miso. You’ll lose a lot of flavor and some of its health benefits. Don’t add miso paste directly into the broth or you’ll have large miso lumps in the soup. Instead, place the miso in a small fine-mesh strainer, lower it into the warm dashi and whisk it in. This will break up the paste and evenly distribute it into the broth.
4 servings
Ingredients
For the dashi:
1 piece of kombu (10 grams – approximately 4 inches square)
4 cups cold filtered water
1 packed cup/10 grams katsuobushi
For the soup:
5 ounces of silken tofu
1 tablespoon dried wakame seaweed
¼ teaspoon soy sauce
4 tablespoons yellow miso paste
2 scallions
Sesame seeds and chili flakes for garnish (optional)
Notes
Kombu, katsuobushi and wakame can be found at Asian markets, natural food stores or purchased online.
This recipe makes four servings. If only one or two servings are needed, scale it down. The ratio is one tablespoon of miso to 1 cup of dashi. Any unused dashi can be refrigerated for up to five days or frozen for a month.
The used kombu and katsuobushi can be added to fresh water and refrigerated for other uses. This is called niban or secondary dashi.
Preparation
Make the dashi: Gently wipe any loose white powder from the kombu, but do not wash it off because it adds to umami. Using a pair of scissors, cut several slits in the kombu. Add the kombu to four cups of cold water in a medium saucepan and soak for 30 minutes.
Place the saucepan on the stove and slowly bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Do not let it boil. With a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum or debris from the surface.
Once small bubbles begin to appear around the edges, remove the kombu. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and add the katsuobushi. Allow the katsuobushi to steep for five minutes.
After five minutes, line a strainer with paper towels and place it over a bowl. Pour the dashi through the lined strainer. Save the kombu and katsuobushi to make secondary dashi for another purpose.
Make the soup: Slice the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Thinly slice the scallions.
Transfer the dashi to a pot over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, add the wakame and soy sauce. Lower the heat to a bare simmer.
Place the miso into a fine mesh strainer, lower it partway into the warm dashi, and whisk the miso until it dissolves into the broth. Do not allow the pot to boil after adding the miso.
Add the tofu and scallions, then ladle into small bowls. Garnish with sesame seeds and chili flakes, if desired. Serve immediately after cooking. It loses flavor with reheating.
This article appears in Home and Garden.
