such a lovely essay! thank you! i really adore spreading miso on a hunk of naturally-leavened bread that's just come out of the oven, topped with some pickled radish or cabbage if i have it. delicious and feels like i'm eating a probiotic super-toast
Hi Slavia, thanks for the kind words! I love the idea of spreading miso on fresh bread. I make a compound butter with cultured unsalted butter and miso to use for stir-fries, roasts, pasta, etc. but I bet it would be really good with bread too!
I use Miso at least three times a week in marinades, sauces and soups with everything from tofu, salmon, or chicken to Kabocha pumpkin and loads in between. It took me a long time to figure out how miso and dashi worked but now they are the base to most of my cooking. In fact, a tsp of paste in hot water is my go-to drink for morning. 😋☺️
Hi Annette, that's awesome! I'm glad you've found so many ways to work it into your repertoire. It's honestly one of my favorite condiments. Hope your week is off to a great start!
The miso and yuzu suggestion made me perk up. That sounds really delicious.
I've used miso in a salad dressing for years now and it's fabulous. Just miso, maple syrup, orange juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and some water to thin it out.
Your salad dressing sounds great! Yuzu miso tends to be more of a paste so it works well for things where you're mixing it together with boiled veggies, or serving it on top of poached fish or grilled chicken. If you want to make it more dressing-like, you can add some fresh yuzu or lemon juice for acidity and then thin it out with water or oil.
I also put miso in my chili! Also in any type of soup or pasta or sauce I might make. My 2 year old daughter started taking the tub out of the fridge and demanding a spoonful of “mis”! I recently made her a sandwich that was miso, honey, and mascarpone on challah. It kinda tastes like a fancy cheese plate in sandwich form
That's adorable. Miso soup in Japanese is "misoshiru" and my daughter always called it "mishosiru". Love the idea of combing miso and cheese. I do a a miso marinated cream cheese that's along those lines (miso and brown sugar spread around a block of cream cheese and then wrapped and aged), but your method is a lot faster.
I usually skip over food stuff on Substack, but this was really interesting! I'm not in Japan, but I might try some miso with some of my curries to see what it does. Do you think it would work well with Italian pasta and vegetable dishes?
Hi Sylvia, thanks for stopping by! I do use miso in curry sometimes and it absolutely works in pasta. One of my favorite simple pastas is to toss hot pasta (and a little of the pasta water) with miso butter (1:1 ratio of miso and unsalted butter, whipped together). The miso butter also works on roasted or boiled potatoes.
This was the perfect essay for me to read. I just recently bought koji from The Koji House in Vermont and started fermenting my own miso. I’ve mostly just added miso to soups, but you’ve inspired me to expand my repertoire.
Glad to hear this was able to provide some inspiration. Koji is a magical ingredient that can be used to transform a lot of things. I am planning a deep dive on it soon.
Thanks for the miso reminder. My miso use goes in waves, and this was a good reminder to experiment a bit. I tend to use it when my dishes need a little more oomph, a teaspoon or two at a time. I've got some chili from the freezer planned for tonight...I may add a bit. And putting a bit on ice cream sounds great -- I sometimes put chili crisp on vanilla ice cream. Looking forward to the miso alternative.
Thank you for this fascinating, clear, helpful information. I've been curious about miso. Bought some at Trader Joe's, tried it once in a recipe, got nervous about the sell-by date, and never tried again. Now I'll feel emboldened.
such a lovely essay! thank you! i really adore spreading miso on a hunk of naturally-leavened bread that's just come out of the oven, topped with some pickled radish or cabbage if i have it. delicious and feels like i'm eating a probiotic super-toast
Hi Slavia, thanks for the kind words! I love the idea of spreading miso on fresh bread. I make a compound butter with cultured unsalted butter and miso to use for stir-fries, roasts, pasta, etc. but I bet it would be really good with bread too!
that's awesome! just the idea of miso compound butter is making my mouth water so i'm gonna drop everything i'm doing and make some
I mash avocado with miso, nutritional yeast and lemon or rice vinegar for avocado toast.
Gosh. I’m making this for breakfast tomorrow.
Sauerkraut on top is extra delish. Flavor bomb!
I’ve had delicious miso caramel lattes, going to try in a smoothie.
I use Miso at least three times a week in marinades, sauces and soups with everything from tofu, salmon, or chicken to Kabocha pumpkin and loads in between. It took me a long time to figure out how miso and dashi worked but now they are the base to most of my cooking. In fact, a tsp of paste in hot water is my go-to drink for morning. 😋☺️
Take care! 🌺
Hi Annette, that's awesome! I'm glad you've found so many ways to work it into your repertoire. It's honestly one of my favorite condiments. Hope your week is off to a great start!
The miso and yuzu suggestion made me perk up. That sounds really delicious.
I've used miso in a salad dressing for years now and it's fabulous. Just miso, maple syrup, orange juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and some water to thin it out.
Your salad dressing sounds great! Yuzu miso tends to be more of a paste so it works well for things where you're mixing it together with boiled veggies, or serving it on top of poached fish or grilled chicken. If you want to make it more dressing-like, you can add some fresh yuzu or lemon juice for acidity and then thin it out with water or oil.
Thanks a million! My tub of miso will now be put to work.
Your tub of miso will be happy!
I also put miso in my chili! Also in any type of soup or pasta or sauce I might make. My 2 year old daughter started taking the tub out of the fridge and demanding a spoonful of “mis”! I recently made her a sandwich that was miso, honey, and mascarpone on challah. It kinda tastes like a fancy cheese plate in sandwich form
That's adorable. Miso soup in Japanese is "misoshiru" and my daughter always called it "mishosiru". Love the idea of combing miso and cheese. I do a a miso marinated cream cheese that's along those lines (miso and brown sugar spread around a block of cream cheese and then wrapped and aged), but your method is a lot faster.
That sounds so good
I usually skip over food stuff on Substack, but this was really interesting! I'm not in Japan, but I might try some miso with some of my curries to see what it does. Do you think it would work well with Italian pasta and vegetable dishes?
Hi Sylvia, thanks for stopping by! I do use miso in curry sometimes and it absolutely works in pasta. One of my favorite simple pastas is to toss hot pasta (and a little of the pasta water) with miso butter (1:1 ratio of miso and unsalted butter, whipped together). The miso butter also works on roasted or boiled potatoes.
Thank you for this demystifying article!
You're welcome!
That Miso Caramel is insanely good! 😋
Thanks! It's such a versatile condiment 😁
As marinade for Cod
One of the two tubs I have is from a small store in Nagano that specialised in 3 types. I really taste the richness in this compared to my other tub.
I use miso in a lot of ways, but one of my specialties is miso gelato! I used a white miso at first, but now use a yellow one
Nagano has so many great food products! Your miso gelato sounds amazing. I make ice cream with a swirl of miso caramel in it 😄
Great! 🙏
💝 Gratefully received!🙏
It’s great with pasta. I mix a couple of spoonfuls in instead of grated cheese.
Great idea!
This was the perfect essay for me to read. I just recently bought koji from The Koji House in Vermont and started fermenting my own miso. I’ve mostly just added miso to soups, but you’ve inspired me to expand my repertoire.
Glad to hear this was able to provide some inspiration. Koji is a magical ingredient that can be used to transform a lot of things. I am planning a deep dive on it soon.
Thanks for the miso reminder. My miso use goes in waves, and this was a good reminder to experiment a bit. I tend to use it when my dishes need a little more oomph, a teaspoon or two at a time. I've got some chili from the freezer planned for tonight...I may add a bit. And putting a bit on ice cream sounds great -- I sometimes put chili crisp on vanilla ice cream. Looking forward to the miso alternative.
You're welcome! It's pretty easy for condiments to get lost in the fridge, glad I could provide a little reminder.
Thank you for this fascinating, clear, helpful information. I've been curious about miso. Bought some at Trader Joe's, tried it once in a recipe, got nervous about the sell-by date, and never tried again. Now I'll feel emboldened.
Glad to hear this was helpful Annie!