Guide to Miso?

[bigchef]

Hi everyone! There are lots of recipes and lists of different misos but does anyone have any guides to pairing miso with different ingridients? Pork, beef, sea food... white or red miso? When should it just be soy,mirin, dashi stock?

[Brasshopper]

Miso makes good soup. Every time I've tried to use it as an ingredient, it tastes like crap. I have followed recipes, they taste like crap. I think this way:

Japanese cuisine has a number of dishes that taste good, even wonderful - and they have natto, which tastes a lot like spoiled soybeans marinated in loose warm snot. In the Nagano area, a common dish is honeybees in their own honey, and, well, raw horsemeat. I ate the horsemeat, but the last time I was in Japan, I completely avoided natto.

I think that miso is an almost natto - unlike Natto that arguably never tastes good (some Japanese will agree) miso occasionaly tastes good. But, frankly, I think that it tastes better out of a spoon than it does as a sauce on fish, or vegetables. The wikipedia article is actually pretty good, although they don't mention recipes, they do talk about which miso is made from what and which has what flavor.

[helenjp]

Hmmm...the miso that is sold in shops for Japanese students on small budgets looking for a taste of home is generally horrible quality.

Can you give us a photo of the stuff you don't like?

Also, miso varies so much in saltiness and even sweetness that recipes need to be tasted and adjusted.

[Brasshopper]

Sorry, no, because I just don't like it much, I don't have any. I have a suggestion, though, I'm willing to try some, if you go on amazon.com and search the Grocery category for Miso Paste, you probably get at least 20 kinds. Want to look there and see if there are any that are not in the category, "taste of home for budget minded Japanese Students"?

Then suggest a recipe and how to adjust it...I'm willing to try. Try to stick to stuff that is eligible for amazon prime.

[eternal]

I've used miso a number of times as an ingredient and it has normally turned out very well. I don't buy anything expensive though the local japanese supermart has about 100 different kinds. I get a lighter one and have used that to marinate a turkey as well, and normally for, black cod miso - the old nobu recipe that everyone copied. Once the marinade/sauce is made, it lasts for months in the fridge.

[Broken English]

I had a miso mayonnaise at Alinea last week which was to die for.

[VilleN]

There's miso butter in Momofuku. Half white miso, half butter, tastes great.

[Beebs]

I love the flavour of miso + maple syrup together. Sounds weird, tastes great.

[Anna N]

There's miso butter in Momofuku. Half white miso, half butter, tastes great.

How is it used? As a spread for bread or as a glaze for something? Thanks.

[VilleN]

In the cookbook it's served with roasted asparagus and poached egg. It's sort of a replacement for the hollandaise sauce.

[Kouign Aman]

Huh! I've done that; white miso, butter. Its good on broccoli too. White miso, ginger and vinegar is a good salad dressing.

[Anna N]

In the cookbook it's served with roasted asparagus and poached egg. It's sort of a replacement for the hollandaise sauce.

Thanks.