Go on, and on, and on, and on about my new found love, Miso.
Oh. My. Goodness. I never knew the void that was in my life, until the day I bought that unsuspecting bag of light yellow miso.... who knew it was not only a wonder food! but delicious and CRAZY versatile!
Poor Chad, the man occasionally gets weekly inundations of the same "new and miraculous" food I've just found - you know like last month when I bought rainbow chard for the first time, and we had it in some form or another 4 times that week.... Well this week it was this delicious stiff goo, that I now know and love.
Let me just start by telling you that we should have figured out that there was something to miso being as though the Japanese have been eating it for thousands of years - and the Japanese people, well they seem to be pretty smart (I mean hello they were also the ones who brought us sushi, ninjas and Tennenkoubo - a crazy delicious flavored bread that comes in a cellophane package). Anyways - its almost a super food (in my opinion) its high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, and not to mention full of living pro-biotics - due of course to the fermentation process it undergoes! Oh, which brings me to what it is exactly - its a paste made of just four ingredients (in the case of the kind I bought): soybeans, water rice and salt - which are mixed together with a special mold and allowed to ferment.
The kind I bought is considered a "white" miso, but because of its higher concentration of soybeans, it has a nice yellow hue to it. As for taste, it has an obvious salty front to it, but once you let it coat your tounge you start to get these amazing pinapple-y, tropical flavors from it. The result is a mildly sweet, yet salty, hugely favorful and totally satisfying, well-rounded taste.
So, how have we had it so far? Well, my favorite is a simple miso soup - yup, think of that delicious stuff they sell at sushi restaurants. And its so simple, a mug full of almost boiling water, a tablespoon or so of miso, and to make it extra special, a drop or five of fish sauce - stir vigorously. I seriously have it at night, before bed, instead of tea. Other than that I've also made a squash miso soup and salad dressing so far - both so amazing I just had to share the recipes. But who knows how far I'll go, I still have a lot left and a little goes a long way!
Now for the recipes:
Asian Broccoli Slaw
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons white miso (light yellow)
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 16-ounce bag broccoli slaw (or 4 broccoli
stalks & 3 carrots, julienned)
3 large green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Using the magic bullet with flat blade - blend vinegar, miso, ginger, and oil, really quick (like 2 seconds) until a creamy dressing forms (kinda like a thin mayo). Combine slaw, green onions, and cilantro in large bowl. Toss with dressing.
And then the soup:
Creamy Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
2 medium leeks - white part cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 teaspoons oil
3 cups cubed squash - butternut, acorn, delicata or
even a pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups water
14-ounce can coconut milk (light works perfectly)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
3 tablespoons sweet light miso
Minced parsley for garnish
Heat the oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, squash, and salt, stirring briefly to coat with oil, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the water and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the pepper and cinnamon. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes, or until the squash is tender. REMOVE THE cinnamon stick.
Add the ginger juice and miso, and blend everything until puréed (enter the immersion blender). Simmer the mostly smooth soup over medium-low heat until heated through. Garnish with parsley before serving.
There you go - consider yourself addicted!!
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