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MISO - Pay your miso dealer, not your doctor!
on 2009-10-28 (267 reads)
 Miso is one of the indispensible flavourings in Japanese cuisine. To Japanese people, it evokes such familiarity that even many of those travelling overseas yearn desperately for it. Some even suggest that the haccho miso widely used in the Nagoya region tastes something like Vegemite itself. In this modern era of slow food, a new importance has been placed on hand preparation. Many Japanese are now relying on recipe books in attempts to make their own miso. This month we feature this intriguing ingredient. |
| The origins of miso |
| The main ingredient in miso is soy beans, into which are mixed koji (mould for fermentation) and salt. Through fermentation, the protein in the soy beans is broken down for easy digestion and large amounts of amino acids, the source of the characteristic Japanese umami taste, are released. |
| Miso & health |
| As suggested by the Edo period proverb "Pay your miso dealer, not your doctor", miso is an essential daily item. Eating soy beans was said to relax the body, promote digestion and prevent constipation, and miso thought to be effective in giving energy and improving blood circulation. Today, miso is said to have the following various properties and effects. |
| Protein | cholesterol reduction; maintained elasticity of blood vessels |
| Vitamin B12 | blood formation; prevention of neural fatigue |
| Vitamin E | prevention of aging |
| Enzymes | digestion assistance |
| Isoflavone | antioxidant effect; relief from shoulder stiffness |
| Choline | prevention of aging; fatty liver prevention |
| Lecithin | cholesterol reduction; prevention of dementia |
| That's not all!: miso's other powers |
| Even more surprising is that miso is not only effective in maintaining day-to-day health; research has revealed that it is rich in substances that serve as powerful allies in the fight against so-called "lifestyle diseases", working to prevent cancer, high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, fatty liver, dementia, high cholesterol, and other such ailments that afflict modern people. |
| Red miso and white miso |
 There are many different types of miso, divided by region and variety broadly into red, white and awase (mixed).The difference between red and white miso lies in the Maillard reaction between the protein and sugar of the soy beans and koji mould, and mainly depends upon the fermentation period. As red miso is fermented for at least a year, its salt concentration is high. Because its fermentation period is long, the procession of the Maillard reaction results in a browny colour and richer taste. White miso is low in salt concentration, with a shorter fermentation period of several months. Due to this short fermentation, the colour is pale, and in some types grains of wheat and other ingredients remain. |
| Miso soup: low in salt? |
| A lot of people seem to mistakenly consider miso soup to be high in salt. While it is true that around 10% of the base miso is salt, as you are not actually eating the paste itself, the salt in miso soup is not as much as you would think. Various other ingredients also go into miso soup, and the glutamates produced in the fermentation of soy beans allow cooking with low salt levels. |
| Miso recipes |
| Miso is an all-purpose flavouring that can be used in all cuisines, including Japanese, Western and Chinese. Miso soup is also capable of infinite variation simply by changing the ingredients you add. This month we feature some simple miso recipes. |
Japanese and Australian ingredients in harmony Lamb with spring onion and miso |
 Ingredients (serves 2)4 lamb chops salt & pepper to taste awase miso: 3 tbsp miso paste 15 cm white spring onion stalk, finely chopped 1/2 clove grated garlic 2 tsp sake 2 tsp sugar 2 tsp vegetable oil ichimi (chilli flakes) to taste Method 1. Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper. 2. After heating two teaspoons of vegetable oil in a frying pan, first cook lengthways along each lamb chop and then briefly brown both sides. 3. Cover in mixed awase miso and cook for around 7 minutes in a 220( oven or until the miso is browned and fragrant. 4. Serve immediately with ichimi to taste. |
A super-simple dressing free of additives and low in calories Miso dressing |
 Ingredients2 tbsp miso paste dash of karashi (Japanese mustard) 3 tbsp fresh citrus juice or vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil pinch of sugar dash of soy sauce Method Just mix everything together. Apart from salad, this dressing is also perfect with cold tofu, somen noodles and rice paper spring rolls. |
Don't boil it after adding the miso or the flavour will escape! Miso soup with tofu and wakame |
 Ingredients (serves 2)100 g tofu 20 g wakame seaweed (rehydrated in water) 300 mL water 1/2 tsp dashi powder 1 1/2 tbsp miso touch of spring onion Method 1. Cut the tofu and wakame into easy-to-eat pieces. 2. Chop the spring onion into small circles. 3. Warm the water and dashi powder in a pot and dissolve in the miso. If the mixture boils over, the miso flavour will escape and spoil the soup, so be sure not to boil it. 4. Add the tofu and wakame and simmer. 5. Serve in a bowl sprinkled with spring onion. |
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