Miso | japanese

2, How is Miso made?

Both rice miso and barley miso are mashed and steamed at high temperatures. The soy is boiled and mixed with malt, salt, seeds and water. Then, the mixture is placed into a container for fermentation and aged accordingly.

Miso may take a few months to a year to reach a fully flavorful ripened miso mix that is ready to use.

During the process of fermentation, the starch of the rice is decomposed by malt amylase, which in turn makes the sweet taste of the miso stronger with more rice koji.

In addition, the taste of miso is affected by amino acids (mainly glutamic acid), which can be found in decomposed soybean protein. The taste will be stronger in more advanced stages of ageing.

It is worth noting that the additive-free miso, Kuradashi miso

(which was removed form the ageing vessel), without the addition of alcohol, is filled as it is in a container.

9, A guideline for Miso amount in recipes

Miso soup

Soup 180ml ~ 200ml (1 cup)

1 tablespoon Miso

· Meat and Easy Miso Pickled Fish Coat meat and fish with mixture of miso and mirin.

Place in plastic wrap.

Let it marinate for half a day (or a few hours) in the refrigerator. Gently sear over low heat in a frying pan; the miso will become fragrant and perfect for an

easy lunch or snack.

· Miso Mayonnaise

Combine miso and mayonnaise and use for a dip with things such as vegetable sticks

· Sesame Miso Dressing

Combine Neri sesame seeds together with oil.

This handmade dressing is perfect for salad and cold tofu

· Amamiso Dare

Mix miso together with honey. This is a simple homemade

Amamiso. It goes well with baked rice cake and dengaku.

8, Effect and operation of miso

Because miso is made from soy, it contains a high-quality protein- rich nutritional value.

A clear benefit of soy is that one can expect beautiful skin from the suppressing linoleic acid melanin synthesis.

Soy isoflavones and saponins also prompt an antioxidant effect which is good for the overall health of your body.

7, Differences and Features of Miso by Color

The most obvious division of miso is the classification by color.

Usually, but not always, it is thought that people buy miso with the idea of the taste is in the color.

■ White miso

This consists of Saikyo miso, and its main production of Fuchu miso, such as Sanuki miso in western Japan.

Due to the short ageing period of white miso the salinity is about 6-7% or below. The color here is thin. The natural sweetness is a hip addition to vinegar Miso-ae and white miso soup. It is also well paired and can be used in dengaku.

It is recommend that white miso is added to cream and stew gratin and pasta with cream based dishes. The taste is mellow and easy on the palette.

■ Red miso

The main kinds of red miso are Hatcho miso—such as beans miso, which is produced in the Chukyo region—and rice miso, which is produced in the Tohoku region, such as Sendai miso and Tsugaru miso. Because of the long gestation period, the salinity is high and the color is dark.

Kaiser cuisine takes advantage of the rich flavor, and uses red miso in soup or miso noodle stew. It should be noted that, if you wish to change the miso that you usually use to red miso, it is a good idea to gradually become accustomed

its taste.

It is recommend as a welcome addition to dishes that use hashed rice, stew hamburger, demi-glace sauce and red wine.

The strong flavor and delicate astringency of red miso add great depth to the taste.

■ Light-colored miso

The main varieties of light-coloured miso are Aishiro rice miso, produced in the Shizuoka region, and the Shinshu rice miso produced in the Nagano region. Light-coloured miso ranges from sweet to dry and tastes somewhere between

white miso and red miso.

There are many commerciallyavailable miso.

This is a versatile miso that can also be used in any dish from boiled miso to miso soup. Thus, it would be nice to use it when there is a need for cooking with miso in a recipe.

6, Miso by type and place of production from raw materials

Miso is made from fermented soybean and malt. Depending on the type of the koji used in the process, you can divide the miso into types.

■ Rice miso

Rice miso is made with soy and rice koji. It’s national production accounts for approximately 80% of production volume.

The typical varieties of rice miso include, Shinshu miso, Saikyo miso, Sendai miso, Tsugaru miso, Kaga miso, and Fuchu miso.

■ Beans miso

Beans miso is made with soy and Mame-koji. It accounts for about 5% of the production volume.

Aichi and Mie are produced in the Chukyo region of Gifu and typical varieties

include Hatcho miso, Sanshu miso and Nagoya miso.

■ Barley miso

Barley miso is made with soybean and wheat malt.

It accounts for about 9% of production volume. It is produced in the areas across the Seto Inland Sea in Kyushu. Typical varieties are Kyushu barley miso.

■ Formulation miso

Also known as a combination of two kinds of miso is made by using multiple varieties of koji.

It accounts for about 6% of the production volume. The miso tends to be red and is a blend of rice miso based on the bean miso.

5, In"Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So"seasoning, the final "So" is for miso

For everyday cuisine, the light-colored miso, known as the universal type, will probably be enough, but in an oyster bank pot with red miso, or as a vinegar miso-ae in white miso, the seasoning will spread the range of the cooking.

Soy sauce, as with miso, is similarly indispensable to Japanese cuisine.

There are a wide variety of applications and deciding factors that go into the purchase that will subtly alter the taste. Because Japanese people have grown

accustomed to the taste of miso, more than any other seasoning, from a young age it has become the base of its people.

Now a days, there are shops that sell miso by weight nationwide (such as specialty stores and underground department stores). One should try the miso of a specific area and, little by little, narrow it down to find a new favorite.

4, History and etymology of miso

It is true that miso is a food mostly associated with Japan, but in fact it is believed to have been handed down from China.

The history of miso dates back to the Asuka period.

The origin of miso is said to come from the ancient Chinese soybean-salted food that is a ‘sauce’ (Sho sauce).

Since it was discovered that the sauce was at its most delicious in the middle of ripening, the food found a separate development to become miso.

Originally, miso was a valuable food and seen as a luxury prized in temples and by aristocracy. It was once rare to find it used as a soup and, instead, had been used as a side dish and medicine. Now it is a indispensable necessity to the

eating habits of the Japanese.

The established dining habits of the samurai called, ‘simple meal’ during the Kamakura era, gave way to the prevalent form of eating miso soup as we know it today.

At the beginning of the Muromachi period, the popularity of miso grew beyond the wealthy people of the era and became industrially produced as Japan entered the Edo era.

For more than 1300 years miso has been nurtured and evolved in the eating habits of the Japanese people.

Throughout Japan, each region, the raw materials available, and climate have helped tailor the taste to the eating habits and preferences of local people, giving miso a variety of features in how it is built. As of now, the type of miso available can be called by local names like,’ Shinshu miso, Kaga miso, and Sendai miso.’ Saikyo miso, originating from Kyoto, has become popularly known for its

‘hometown of taste.’

3, Is Miso good for the body？

Miso is known to benefit the body with protein to enhance immunity, unsaturated fatty acids to improve the blood flow and metabolism, dietary fibre and microorganisms to clean the inside of the intestine, vitamin E and saponin that gives it an excellent anti-oxidant effect, brown pigment, and

many other vitamins and minerals that have been included in the wealth of health miso provides.

In addition, during the fermentation process, nutrients are broken down into an easily digestible state that helps the body absorb these nutrients.

2, How is Miso made?

Miso may take a few months to a year to reach a fully flavorful ripened miso mix that is ready to use.

During the process of fermentation, the starch of the rice is decomposed by malt amylase, which in turn makes the sweet taste of the miso stronger with more rice koji.

In addition, the taste of miso is affected by amino acids (mainly glutamic acid), which can be found in decomposed soybean protein. The taste will be stronger in more advanced stages of ageing.

It is worth noting that the additive-free miso, Kuradashi miso

(which was removed form the ageing vessel), without the addition of alcohol, is filled as it is in a container.

1, Main ingredients of Miso

The main materials for making miso are soybean, rice or wheat in combination with salt and water.

Rice, soybeans and salt are the ingredients for ‘rice miso.’

Wheat (naked barley and barley), soy and salt are the ingredients for ‘barley miso.’

Soybean and salt are the ingredients for ‘bean miso.’

In addition, the type of miso is not only divided by raw materials (oringredients), but is also classified by taste and color.

Classification According to Taste

Miso can be classified from mainly sweet, dry and spicy.

The Spiciness depends on the amount of salt used, which is also determined by the ‘koji ratio’ (the ratio of rice and wheat used for the soybean fermentation).

If the salt is constant, a higher koji concentration will bring about a sweeter taste.

Classification by Color

Miso can be divided into three different colours: red-based miso, light-colored miso and white miso.

The colour of the miso is based on the main ingredient, how the soybeans are heated (i.e. boiled or steamed), and the amount of malt present or absent from the agitation process at the time of fermentation.