Miso

[Sobaicecream]

I had miso manju once but it was so sweetened I could barely tell it was miso.

Not something I liked enough to experiment with...

I did leave some ideas in the other thread though.

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Thanks, Kristin! Will go check it out. (My husband was thoroughly grossed out when I told him what he was about to put in his mouth, but then he admitted my miso cake was pretty good. Just not that miso-ish, according to him.)

[helenjp]

The least salty misos are the white (or yellow "Yamabuki" style) and the dark red aka-miso (but make sure you don't buy the seasoned akadashi miso)

Most miso sweets I have had have had only a hint of miso, and I think it is often used to add complexity rather than as a "miso" flavor.

I have made miso cakes, and think that the full flavor seems to go with a soft texture - hence the traditional steamcakes and manju? It's worth making your own, because as Torakris says, too much sweetness is not pleasant with miso.

How about steamed custards with a caramel/red miso layer?

Pale miso mixed with chestnut purees...

Pale miso with yuzu or sudachi peel or clean-tasting herbs...icecream?

Mild, faintly miso-tasting steamcakes or spongey cakes with a sugary red miso/walnut topping...

Red miso and ginger...

[Sobaicecream]

The least salty misos are the white (or yellow "Yamabuki" style) and the dark red aka-miso (but make sure you don't buy the seasoned akadashi miso)

Most miso sweets I have had have had only a hint of miso, and I think it is often used to add complexity rather than as a "miso" flavor.

I have made miso cakes, and think that the full flavor seems to go with a soft texture - hence the traditional steamcakes and manju? It's worth making your own, because as Torakris says, too much sweetness is not pleasant with miso.

How about steamed custards with a caramel/red miso layer?

Pale miso mixed with chestnut purees...

Pale miso with yuzu or sudachi peel or clean-tasting herbs...icecream?

Mild, faintly miso-tasting steamcakes or spongey cakes with a sugary red miso/walnut topping...

Red miso and ginger...

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Hmmm, great ideas, Helen! Thanks. I just tried making a miso souffle cheesecake and it was actually pretty gross--too much miso. I think I've learned my lesson: miso in desserts has to be subtle. Back to the drawing board, with your suggestions in mind.

[Kiem Hwa]

Really? It's not regular miso, it's a chunky kind with barley and stuff added (I think this type is called 'kinzanji', and it's often used as a veggie dip or topping).

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Recently, the Shirokiya over here featured some miso with things added such as barley, I guess some were Kinzanji miso 金暫時みそ , as Smallworld tried out recently. How is this stuff? What kinds of things would you use it for....miso soup.... or as a topping for tofu or rice?

Quote from an article in Metropolis:

"Kinzanji miso has a heady, sweet aroma and a chunky texture. It is a healthy alternative to creamy vegetable dips."

Quote from an article in Kippo.or.jp:

"A fermented bean paste known as Kinzanji-miso today was first brought to Japan from China by zen monks of this locality in the mid-13th century. Kinzanji-miso includes chopped vegetables such as melon gourds and eggplants, whose juices produce a salty liquid that collects above and below the paste. This liquid is said to be the forebear of shoyu."

More about Kinzanji miso:

http://www.marushinhonke.com/english.html

I also saw miso with peanuts added into it, I wonder how this one is?

Here is a webpage about the history of miso:

http://www.thesoydailyclub.com/SFC/Fsoyfoods411.asp

[torakris]

Kizanji miso is mosly used for dipping or topping, I have never seen it used for soup.

One of the sites Kiem Hwa linked to has some interesting variations I have never seen. Kinzanji with umeboshi, garlic, yuzu, wakame and olives . the say the olive one goes well with white wine....

I have had the peanut miso, it makes a nice dip for cucumbers...

here is a recipe in English

[helenjp]

watch out for peanut miso, occasionally that name is used for a sweet thing which seems to be peanuts in mizu-ame! A big shock to the taste-buds if they are set to the "miso" setting...

[Hiroyuki]

watch out for peanut miso, occasionally that name is used for a sweet thing which seems to be peanuts in mizu-ame! A big shock to the taste-buds if they are set to the "miso" setting...

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I liked peanut miso (called peanuts miso ピーナッツ味噌 in Japan) (sweetened version) when I was small.

My wife and daughter love it.

Photos of peanut miso

http://slapbass.gozaru.jp/miso_P.htm

[Kiem Hwa]

Mugi Miso:

I recently found this....I wanted toppings for veggies and tofu... any other suggestions for using it?

[helenjp]

It really is best as a topping or dip - it has quite a lot of sweetener, which tends to burn if you try to marinade things in it and then grill them.

I just made a miso/sesame paste for my kids to dip cucumbers in for their afternoon snack - and crisp young cabbage hearts dipped in that miso you have taste good too!

[AzianBrewer]

Other than soup, I usually whipped a BBQ sauce using miso.

Miso

Brown Sugar

Cheap Sake

Vinegar

Minced Garlic

Grated Ginger

Sesame Oil & Sesame Seeds

Brush it on my pork chops in low fire and pair it with Imo Shochu!!

Cheers!

AzianBrewer

[Rehovot]

I just bought some Hatcho Miso in the hopes of making miso soup. The Hatcho is the only kind of miso I could find, here.

No dashi in sight, though... So what should I use as the soup base? Vegetable stock, or just water?

[Sencha]

I just bought some Hatcho Miso in the hopes of making miso soup. The Hatcho is the only kind of miso I could find, here.

No dashi in sight, though... So what should I use as the soup base? Vegetable stock, or just water? 

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Oh wow, hatcho miso? It's been a while since I've tasted that deep flavor.

Really, if you don't have ingredients for making dashi, using just water will be just fine. There are some people who don't even bother with using dashi for miso shiru because the miso is flavorful enough that they don't think the dashi makes a big enough difference.

Vegetable stock on the other hand would give a very different flavor. I've never used vegetable stock when making miso shiru, nor have I ever heard another person's experience with such, but I really don't see what reason there would be to use it. Dashi and vegetable stocks have very different flavors.

Just use water and adjust the amount of miso to your liking, would be my suggestion.

[torakris]

I would go with just water, but I have a vegetarian friend here in Japan who says she likes to add vegemite to her miso soups to give them a bit of depth...

[Hiroyuki]

Hm...............

Hatcho miso is the only type of miso that I DON'T want in my miso soup... That distinctive flavor! I will direct your question to Nontan's bulletin board. Yankee mama may be able to give you some suggestions since she lives in Aichi prefecture.

[Hiroyuki]

No reply from Yankee mama yet, but another woman suggested using shellfish.

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Yankee mama finally made a reply on Nontan's Bulletin Board.

Here is a rough translation of her reply:

Miso soup doesn't taste good without dashi.

Foods from seas are good.

I wonder if kelp is available.

I think it's good if you have dried fish.

I wonder if instant dashi is sold. It's the easiest to use.

You have only to put tofu and wakame in it.

You don't need tofu if it isn't available. Button mushrooms may be good.

Mushrooms are good.

Putting too much vegetable will make the miso soup taste bad.

If you put in pork and leek to make 'buta jiru', you won't need dashi.

Putting shellfish is also good. You can get dashi from shellfish, and that's just fine.

Isn't MSG sold?

It may be good to sprinkle some. It will be a substitute for kelp.

Is the hatcho miso the real thing?

There are those with regular miso mixed in for beginners.

It will make more drinkable miso soup.

You may not appreciate the tastiness of pure hatcho miso unless you get used to eating it.

[piazzola]

Hi again

I have seen packets of different colour misos and they just mistify me as what prefeences there are for different colour misos?

Is there preference in colour or in taste and dishes as well?

So what's their uses and applications appart from soups?

thanks

[SuzySushi]

Different colors and types of miso have different flavors. The "white" (actually yellow) misos tend to be lighter/sweeter in flavor and less salty, while the red ones are heartier and dark brown miso is the heartiest of all.

Misos are generally interchangeable depending on your taste preference. Some people mix several types to get just the flavor they want.

Besides using in soup, miso (usually diluted with mirin- a syrupy rice "wine" - and sugar) is also used as a glaze for broiled foods such as fish or sliced eggplant. It can also be mixed into salad dressings for an East-West touch. Try mixing with mustard, too, as a dip.

[jasie]

I have this tub of miso I bought... I think maybe a year ago? Age undetermined but definitely more than a year. lol. It smells ok... no expiry date at all on the tub. How do you tell if its expired? *grin*

[torakris]

I have never bought a pack of miso here in Japan that did not have an expiration date. In general the more salt the miso contains the longer it will keep. He is a general guide (in Japanese):

http://www.miso.or.jp/dictionary/q_a/qa03/06.html

For rice based miso

sweet ones (most of the white miso) are good for 3 to 6 monthsalike.

salty ones are good for 3 to 12 months

Barley based miso are good for 3 to 12 months

Soybean only miso are good for 6 to 12 months

Mixed miso are good for 3 to 12 months

These are just general guidelines as no two miso brands are created equal.

I keep my miso refrigerated and keep it no longer than a year unless it is the sweet variety.

[jasie]

Sorry for the blurry pics.. This is what it looks like. I looked again for expiration dates. No luck. Even checked on the underside of the lid/container. haha. Tastes salty, and smells like miso. Hmm!

[Hiroyuki]

Hmmm (sigh)...

It looks much darker than a regular shiro (white) miso. It's almost like an aka (red) miso.

I would dispose of it and buy another. If that's something you don't want to do, just taste it. You can still use it provided that it's not rancid or moldy. If you decide to use it, I'd recommend that you put it in the freezer (it won't harden as a rock) rather than in the fridge.

[jasie]

Hiroyuki- that was the color it was already when I bought it. The texture and color is even throughout too.. no moulds or dried spots. (It was put in the bottom corner of my fridge, probably the coldest spot?)

Anyway, I took the plunge and made some miso soup with it. It tasted normal. Wasn't gritty and no off taste at all. Yum. I guess I'll find out tonight if it was good or bad? Haha. I'll update tomorrow. *grin*

[Hiroyuki]

OK, if that's the case, go ahead. But while you're at it, let me reiterate that MISO CAN GO BAD. It's a myth that miso will keep forever. Well, it's true that shingen miso (smoked hard miso) has kept for four centuries, but comtemporary miso typically have a salt content of around 9 to 12% and therefore can go bad if handled improperly.

[ojisan]

Since there seems to be no unanimous consensus to answer the OP's original question, here's my 2 cents:

I have in my fridge 4 misos: all 1 kilo packages; all have only the following ingredients - water, soy beans, rice and salt; none came with expiration dates; after opening they have been stored in heavy-duty ziplocks; a clean spoon is always used to avoid contamination; all stored in a very cold fridge.

- Yamabuki Tezukuri: dark brown, packed in heavy-duty bag

- Yamabuki Inaka: orangy brown, packed in rectangular plastic tub

- Shirakiku Shiro: yellow orange, packed in heavy-duty bag

- ? brand (no English/I don't read Japanese) really dark stuff: looks like dense fudge, packed in rectangular plastic tub.

The dark fudge stuff is way over 5 years old. I mean like 8-10 yrs old. Salt is starting to crystalize on the bottom. But it smells amazing and tastes great too. I'm using this stuff like I would use an old cognac.

The Yamabuki Tezukuri is maybe 2 yrs old, and I don't feel that it's suffered for it.

So, my conclusion is: if you've stored it properly in the fridge and haven't contaminated it, and there's no obvious sign of decomposition (mold etc.) and it smells good, then the 12 month limit is not valid.

[Sony]

Today I bought miso that is shelf stable- Hikari brand shiro miso (product of Japan). I've only ever seen miso in the refrigerated section, so this is something of a novelty to me.

2 questions:

1. The package gives no indication that I should refrigerate once I open it. Should I?

2. What have your experiences been with miso sold in the unrefrigerated section?

If it's important, I typically use miso in soup, salad dressing and marinades.

Thanks in advance for any guidance! I also apologize if there's already a thread on this- my eGullet search didn't turn up a good match.....