Miso

About

Miso is a fermented soybean paste. The most common type, rice (kome) miso, is made from soybeans, water, salt, and rice inoculated with koji culture; barley (mugi) miso substitutes barley koji for rice koji. Color ranges from pale to nearly black and texture from smooth to chunky, and as a rule paler miso is sweeter and lighter in flavor while darker miso is more intense. Its flavor is complex, with notes that can include nutty, brown-butter, caramelized, tropical-fruit (banana, mango, pineapple), olive, briny, or chestnut-blossom characteristics, and it pairs especially well with alliums, root vegetables, and seaweed. Beyond paste form, miso is also sold freeze-dried, often as instant soup or general seasoning blends.

Pairs well with miso

• SuEggMisozuke are foods pickled in miso, often vegetables but also boiled eggs, which take on a flavor reminiscent of being pickled in gravy.
• FrTomatoRed miso has a boldness and sweet-sourness comparable to balsamic vinegar, and can lift the flavor of average tomatoes.
• SuGarlicIn Japan, "you smell like miso" is a class-inflected insult aimed at country folk, much like the garlic-smell jibes used elsewhere in the…
• RoChocolateMiso brownies typically use a small amount of sweet white miso for subtle salt, or red miso for a stronger fermented tang that echoes…
• CiGingerA little fresh ginger grated over miso soup cuts through its intensity and sharpens the other flavors, much like lemon juice on fried fish.
• FfVanillaSweet white miso and vanilla combined in a custard sauce taste like butterscotch.
• FfHoneyNeri miso, miso, honey (or sugar) and water or sake, gently simmered together, balances salty and sweet in a smooth condiment or dressing,…
• RoSesameGoma tofu is made from sesame paste and kuzu starch rather than soybeans, giving it a tofu-like texture dominated by sesame flavor; it is…
• WoCarrotSweet white miso, often used as a dairy substitute in dishes like mashed potatoes or cream-cheese-style dips, adds a rich, savory depth…
• SpPeppercornSansho pepper, a citrus-family spice, is used in miso soup, especially red miso, for its lemon and lemongrass notes; Indian long pepper…
• SuCornModern sweet corn varieties have become so sweet that older, more complex-tasting varieties like Silver Queen, with a milky quality from…
• MuMustardJapanese karashi mustard, made from ground yellow and brown mustard seeds mixed with water, is a very pungent paste often served with…
• CrBananaSweet white miso's flavor profile -- butterscotch, custard, tropical fruit -- has made it a natural match for banana in desserts, from…
• GrChileDoenjang, Korea's counterpart to Japanese hatcho miso, is made from soybeans alone and has a strong, cheesy, savory flavor.
• MaSeaweedZen monastery cooking makes miso soup broth from kombu seaweed alone, without the usual bonito flakes.
• EaBarleyMugi, or barley, miso is darker and more savory than the sweeter white rice miso, and more traditionally associated with rural, winter…
• WoPecanPecans can carry a plant-dairy quality reminiscent of sweetened soy milk, which pairs naturally with miso, sweet white miso with pecan…
• EaEggplantEggplant absorbs miso's saltiness into a tender, savory result.
• CiTurmericMiso soup with turmeric combines well: the salty miso amplifies turmeric's flavor, while turmeric's herbal, vegetal notes add a depth to…
• FrYogurtFermentation writer Sandor Katz notes that miso pairs well with fatty ingredients such as tahini, peanut butter or yogurt, which carry its…
• SuChiveChopped chives scattered over red miso soup, left to sit briefly, develop a flavor reminiscent of onion gravy with sherry.
• WoWhole grain riceGenmai miso is made like standard miso but with brown rice in place of white, giving it a deep, mellow flavor along with some of brown…
• SuLeekA paste of miso and thin Japanese leek (negi) is used in seafood dishes and with baked potatoes.
• EaSplit peaMiso soup has a savory, salty-sweet quality similar to ham broth, which makes it a useful flavor booster in split pea soup: red miso is…
• EaTofuTofu preparations range from heavily sauced or marinated dishes, such as tofu dengaku (tofu slices glazed with miso, sake, mirin and…
• EaWhite beanShiro-an, a Japanese paste of sweetened white beans, is shaped into wagashi (sweetmeats) sometimes flavored with miso, pumpkin or green tea.
• GrGreen beanCooking green beans in heavily salted water intensifies their green, meaty flavor while keeping their color bright, according to tests by…
• EaJerusalem artichokeIn Japan, Jerusalem artichokes (kikuimo) are pickled by submerging peeled tubers in miso or sake lees, sometimes for up to three months,…
• CiYuzuYuzu zest is often added to miso soup in Japan; rupturing the peel releases its essential oils, and the soup's heat intensifies them…