Anyone Make Miso Soup ??

[bebe]

I''ve read and heard how good this is for you. And after reading a few recipes, it seems you can build the soup anyway
that suits you. But I have zippo knowledge about Miso. Is there a certain kind, what''s better than the other....???????
Any ideas or help would be really welcome. DH and I determined to eat healthier and this sounds like a good start.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I''m sure you can get mix to make it. I know the broth is made with Benito flakes, which is dried fish. then nori and tofu are added.

 

[bebe]

What is Benito flakes ?

I thought Miso soup was made from miso paste and other ingredients...
shows what I know - duh!!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

from wikipedia:

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called "dashi" into which is mixed softened miso paste. Although the suspension of miso paste into dashi is the only characteristic that actually defines miso soup, many other ingredients are added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference.

Miso paste
The choice of miso paste for the soup defines a great deal of its character and flavor. Most miso pastes can be categorized into red (akamiso), white (shiromiso), or black (kuromiso), with darker pastes having a heartier, saltier flavor. There are many variations within these themes, including regional variations, such as Sendai miso; pastes designed to be used with specific misoshiru ingredients, such as yasaimiso, a white miso for use with miso-vegetable soup; and seasonal variations.

Stock (I think this is where I''m remembering bonito flakes from...)
The most common dashi soup stocks for miso soup are made of niboshi (dried baby sardines), kombu (dried kelp), katsuobushi (thin shavings of dried and smoked bonito, aka skipjack tuna), or hoshi-shiitake (dried shiitake mushrooms). The kombu can also be used in combination with katsuobushi or hoshi-shiitake. The kelp and/or shiitake dashi serve as a vegetarian soup stock.

Outside of Japan, American or European style miso soup is sometimes made by dissolving miso in a Western vegetable stock. The stock might include ingredients such as negi, carrot, potato and daikon radish. In some versions of the dish chicken stock, Western-style fish stock, and other non-dashi bases can even be used, but there is some debate over whether or not miso soups made using these non-traditional bases count as true misoshiru. Christian Japanese refugees who came to the Philippines during the Edo period brought along miso soup, but the Filipino recipe differs mainly by the inclusion of tamarind, which gives it a more sour taste than the original Japanese version.

Bonito

Katsuobushi (鰹節 or かつおぶし ?) is the Japanese name for a preparation of dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis, sometimes referred to as bonito). Katsuobushi and kombu (a type of kelp) are the main ingredients of dashi, a broth that forms the basis of many soups (such as miso soup) and sauces (e.g., soba no tsukejiru) in Japanese cuisine. It is today typically found in bags of small pink-brown shavings. Larger, thicker shavings, called kezurikatsuo (削り鰹; けずりかつお), are used to make the ubiquitous dashi stock. Smaller, thinner shavings, called hanakatsuo (花鰹; はなかつお), are used as a flavoring and topping for many Japanese dishes, such as okonomiyaki. Traditionally, large chunks of katsuobushi were kept at hand and shaved when needed with an instrument called a katsuobushi kezuriki, similar to a wood plane, but in the desire for convenience this form of preparation has nearly disappeared. Katsuobushi, however, retains its status as one of the primary ingredients in Japanese cooking today.

Katsuobushi''s umami flavor comes from its high inosinic acid content. Traditionally made katsuobushi, known as karebushi, is deliberately planted with fungus (Aspergillus glaucus) in order to reduce moisture.

When hanakatsuo is added as a topping to a hot dish, the steam has the effect of making the flakes move as if dancing; because of this, katsuobushi topping is also known as dancing fish flakes.

 

[lliang_chi]

Yes I make miso all the time. I love the stuff. You can buy dashi/benito flakes but you really don''t need to. If you want to get dashi and you should be able to find it in a Japanese market or online. I just make mine with boiled water. I love the taste of miso and don''t really miss the dashi at all. You can add tofu, noodles whatever you want to it. I add noodles & green leafy veggies if I"m making it for something more substantial like a lunch. Otherwise if it''s just a snack, I like adding sliced ginger & jalepenos or even better kimchi. That''s SUPER tasty, but I like stuff hot.

I buy the miso paste that you find in the refrigerated section of an Asian market. The paste is also good to add to marinades too. I use it on fish and sometimes chicken.

 

[choro72]

Any kind of miso will do. I like it in broth made from fish head, ginger, and green onions. I also prefer my soup substantial (the Chinese in me), so I add a bunch of crap in it too. Potato, onions, broccoli, tofu, asari (type of shellfish), meat, spinach, cabbage...anything you want.
Japanese will usually eat it plain with tofu and wakame (seaweed). You can even make noodle soup out of it or pour it over rice.
The way I usually do it is to put some miso in a mug cup, add some of the hot broth in it, mix it patiently until it dissolves, and dump it back in the soup pot. It''s easier than trying to stir a big lump of miso in a huge pot of soup, but that''s just me. I suggest you start with a little bit of miso and add more as needed. miso soup with too much miso is disgusting, not to mention the sodium overload.

Do you live near an Asian supermarket? They have instant miso soup which you just pour hot water over. they come in individual packets so you can''t go wrong. Although squeezing the miso out of the individual packet reminds you of something else. I use this a lot.

 

[bebe]

lots of good ideas, thanks guys!

I was in Whole Foods and saw different kinds of Miso. I bought White Miso for a recipe I was preparing for
my daughter and her boyfriend, but she took the rest of it home with her.

Curious, what is the difference between white and whatever else is out there?
Is the sodium level in Miso really high? Maybe not something you''d want very often?
But I did see that in Japan Miso soup is eaten at almost all 3 meals - not sure I want
that much added sodium to my diet.

 

[elzny]

Hi B- I eat instant miso soup everyday with my lunch; I buy them at Japanese or Korean markets. There are many varieties. They come in those plastic bags (see pix), and usually there are 8-10 packets of miso (gold pkts in pix) + 8-10 packets of other stuff like dried green onion, seaweed, spinach, etc etc...(blue pkts in pix) depending on which kind you get. I dump one pkt each into my mug & just add hot water.

I don''t know which part of tri-state you are in, but you can find them in the following locations:
1. 32nd b/w 5th & 6th, Korean market "Hanahreuhm", sometimes called Super H. On the north side of the street.
2. 47th b/w 3rd & lex, a small Japanese grocery store, close to a "Subway" sandwich shop, forgot the name but also on the north side of the street.
3. Edgewater NJ, huge Japanese market called "Mitsuwa", near 505 River Road, 07020.
4. White Plains NY, http://www.daidomarket.com/

My Japanese friends tell me any soup with miso paste can be called miso soup. At home, you can put miso paste, tofu, seaweed, green onion, vege, even meat or shrimp or clam if you want. I prefer white miso, it''s lighter, less salty. Miso is made of soy, so if you are concerned with salt intake, just drink soy milk instead.

 

[elzny]

I remember gwyneth paltrow cooked some miso salmon on Oprah long time ago, I googled it but came across this - she seems to be big into miso!!

There are some interesting recipes...
http://www.howcelebritiesloseweight.com/gwyneth-paltrow-celebrity-post-holiday-diet-detox-plan/

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/MISO-GLAZED-SALMON-1238886
This recipe is quite different from the way I cook it - the lazy way, hahah... I mix white miso, mirin vinegar, a bit of brown suger, slap them onto salmon filet, & marinate in the fridge overnight. Stick them into the oven @ 350F for 25mins, voila!

BTW Costco has pretty good organic soy milk, vanilla flavor.

 

[bebe]

thanks elzny. I defintely want to make some, just didn''t know where to start.
PS - I''m in Texas

We have a large Chinatown and lots of our grocery stores offer a wide variety
of Asian foods, so I know I can find the goods!!!

 

[babysteps]

Bebe -if it helps, I think the difference between white miso and red miso paste is both the composition of the ingredients and the style/length of fermentation - white miso paste is lighter and sweeter and is what I use for soup - as someone else mentioned, it is also a great base for marinades for fish - there is a miso black cod that is a specialty at NOBU and is do-able at home, delish! Red miso is heartier and I read somewhere has more ''umami'' - sometimes called the 5th taste, it is more savory. It is fun to experiment with the ingredients, you are lucky to have a great market near you!

 

[elzny]

B- it''s funny that you are in TX. I remember a while back a co-worker was telling me about diamonds size distributions in the US, that most larger diamonds are in NY, LA, & TX!! I''ve only been to Dallas and I remember seeing a friend''s wife''s 3-ct radiant too!!

Enjoy the miso soup...

 

[choro72]

Red and White miso is a matter of preference. White miso is sweeter and red miso has a richer taste. Red also has more sodium content, but because the flavor is so rich you end up using less miso.