Tuesday 24 January 2017

Miso!



Normally served hot with Japanese meals, a basic bowl of this savoury soup generally consists of small pieces of seaweed, a few small cubes of tofu and some sliced green onions. Of course there are adventurous people who love to add all kinds of fancy stuff to make it more appetizing!



What is Miso?
Its fermented paste made from mashed soybeans, rice or barley, salt, water & a filamentous fungus called Aspergillus oryzae (also known as “Koji”).



 Aspergillus oryzae

Do you know?  
A. oryzae has been safely used in industrial production for thousands of years & has a pleasant aroma similar to chestnuts.  
It is an ingredient in the production of Japanese beverages (sake & shuchu) as well as common table top items such as soy sauce & rice vinegar. 








By the way…
There are a few types of miso paste - from white, yellow, dark brown, to red.  Its flavour depends on the region it was made:

Salty & dark-coloured - colder areas

Clear, light & a little sweet - warmer areas 




How is miso paste made?

Preparing miso takes some patience, since the flavours of the soy beans need time to mature. Whichever way we choose to make it, the preparation basically involves the following:


Ingredients
Dried soybeans
Koji fermented rice
Natural salt
Boiled soybean soup (saved from boiling dried Soybeans above)
Plastic container for miso with a lid
Plastic bag to line plastic container & one to cover container

Heavy weight or stone 




Process
1. Wash & soak beans overnight in water 
2. Prepare container
3. Prepare beans. Drain beans and rinse 
4. Mash beans
5. Form paste 
6. Store Paste




 Methods (Online)
·         Miso Recipe - Japanese Cooking 101. https://youtu.be/OTq5QbOGFME
·         How to make miso paste at home. https://youtu.be/Whr58wj-65A


The paste you just made can’t be consumed immediately, you have to wait for it to ferment for about 6 – 8 months.  Sometimes for 1 – 2 years!



Shared by Azni Zainal Abidin
Guest Blogger

No comments:

Post a Comment