I think that just about everyone loves the Miso soup that is ubiquitous to Japanese restaurants around the country. It is also used frequently in other Asian cuisines and is known as Chiang in China and Chao do in Vietnam. Beyond that, I think the general question is ‘What exactly do I do with this?

Miso is more than just the base ingredient for soup—it can be used in a multitude of ways to add flavor and nutrients to what you are making.  Miso is 13-20% protein and has an amino acid pattern similar to meat.  (Vegetarians are you listening?)  It is a fermented food and contains lactobacillus (the same good ol’ lactobacillus found in yogurt) that helps digestion.   There have been various studies done that suggest miso has cancer fighting properties. In addition, some studies indicate that consuming miso can help reverse the effects of smoking and air pollution.  Traditionally miso has been said to encourage good health and a long life.  What more do you need to know to start incorporating miso as part of your weekly diet?

There are three basic types of miso—barley (mugi), rice (kome), and soybean (hatcho) and countless variations. It is made by mixing cooked soybeans, grain, mold (koji) and salt and letting this mixture ferment from 6 months to a few years.  Frequently you will see miso labeled as white, red or black.  The lighter varieties of miso are typically used for soups and are sweeter and less salty than the darker varieties.   The best advice that I can give you about miso is to stop thinking about it as an ingredient and more as a condiment.

Miso can keep covered in your fridge for up to a year, so get cooking!  Here two recipes—one for your soup and a marinade for fish.

Miso Soup (adapted from Epicurious.com)

½ c. Wakame (a type of dried seaweed.  It used to be difficult to find, but even Whole Foods carries it now.)

¼ c. Shiro Miso (white miso)

6 c. Dashi (Japanese Sea Stock) See below for the recipe.

¼ c. scallions, sliced

½ # soft tofu, diced

Prepare the Wakame

Cover the Wakame with 1 inch of warm water.  Let stand and soften for 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Make the soup

Mix the miso with ½ cup of the Dashi—enough to loosen the miso so that it is pourable.  In a saucepan on the stovetop, heat the remaining Dashi until hot then add in the scallions and the tofu.  Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the miso.  Serve and Enjoy!

*I like to add bits of leftover cooked vegetables from my fridge to make a Vegetable miso soup.

Dashi

6 c. of cold water

1oz Kombu (dried Kelp, also available at WF)

2 pkg. Katsuo Bushi,  (dried Bonito flakes) about 1 cup (If you are vegetarian, skip this.)

Place the cold water and komu in a large saucepan and bring to just a boil.  Turn off the heat and sprinkle the katsuo bushi flakes over the liquid.  Stir and let stand for 3 minutes.  Pour the liquid through a fine sieve (use a cheese cloth lined sieve if you have to) and set aside.

Miso Glazed Sablefish

Adapted from ‘Fish Forever’ by Paul Johnson

Marinade

½ c. mirin

½ c. Sake

¼ c. sugar

1 c. white miso

4 (5 oz) sablefish fillets

In a medium saucepan, bring the mirin and sake to a boil to evaporate the alcohol.  Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.  Remove from the heat and whisk the miso paste until smooth.  Set aside and let cool completely.

Put the sablefish fillets in a nonreactive dish and slather them with the cooled marinade.  Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 3 days. (Paul points out that sablefish does well with the long marinade time, but if you are using salmon or other fish only marinate for an hour or two.)

Preheat the broiler and set the rack as far from the heat source as possible so that the fish does not brown too quickly.  Preheat the oven to 425Fin case it cooks too fast under the broiler.

Wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets. Place the fish on the broiler pan, 6 to 8 inches from the heat source and broil for 8 to 10 minutes or until almost opaque through.  If the fish browns too quickly and is in danger of burning, finish cooking it in the preheated oven.