So, What IS this Miso stuff??

Considering I just posted TWO miso-centered recipes, I thought I'd do a little research and share what it actually IS, for those who may be interested.

Miso is basically Soy beans. Soy beans and a mould culture, and sometimes another grain, such as rice or wheat. The beans are mixed with the culture and other grain and then fermented for a period of time from several months to several years. The length of fermenation affects the color, flavor, aroma, and color of Miso. (source)
My host family in Yokohama made their own Miso and fermented it for two years. It was phenomenal. So delicious! We would spread it on vegetables and eat it raw.

As you may notice in the picture above, there are different types of miso, too! Red miso and white miso are the most common I've seen.

Interested in making you own? Well luckily for you, I found this handy-dandy HOW-TO!!

Oh, and one more thing to remember when cooking with miso! Don't boil it!! Add it to your soups after everything is already cooked! If you boil miso it will ruin the flavor!

That's all for now!

--JeJira

Miso Yaki (Broiled Miso [fish])

This tasty broiled fish is marinated prior to cooking and packs a nice flavor. If not overcooked, the fish should also be very tender and juicy.

A Note on Broiling:
Broiled fish is a huge part of the Japanese diet. Thus, every kitchen stove is equipped with a fish broiler. I'm not sure the best way to go about this in America, but baking the fish in an oven would probably be effective. Just research good temperatures to bake the type of fish you choose.

Miso Yaki - 2 servings (this makes quite a lot of marinade, so if you have less fish, cut back slightly or else a lot of miso will go to waste!)
250 g (8oz) White Fish (I used Hokke, which is a type of mackeral)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vinegar
2/3 cup miso
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 tsp green onion - chopped
1/4 cup white wine (White grape juice can be substituted for wine. I couldn't find any white grape juice at my grocery store, so I got the wine)

Cut the fish in 1/2" fillets. Mix the remaining ingrediants and marinate the fish for apx 20 mins. Broil the fish, skin side down, turning once after apx 5-7 minutes.

Great when served with rice and Miso Soup!

**A Note on Broiling Fish!**
To those of you living in Japan (Shout-out to other JETs!), you most likely have a fish broiler in your stove!

Ta-da!
There will probably be a metal cover on top of the stove. Remove it when broiling your fish! (I forgot this time-- OOPS!!!) Put a little bit of water in the bottom of the broiler pan to make cleaning up easier, and to help the fish stay moist while cooking.
Fish is done when it's nicely browned and flakes easily off of the bone.

And I guess if worse comes to worse, we're in Japan! They eat raw fish all the time over here!!

Cheers!

--JeJira

Miso Shiru (Miso Soup)

This soup is a staple in the Japanese diet! It can be eaten at ANY meal (yes, that includes breakfast!) It's very simple, and very customize-able with different vegetables or meats or whatever else you have laying around!

Miso Shiru - 1 serving
1 cup dashi*
1 tsp Miso**
Any other vegetables/meat you want to add. Suggestions: Tofu, Moyashi (bean sprouts?), Spinach, Squash, etc etc etc. Anything you have should be good.

*Dashi is fish stock and can be found in several different forms. You can make your own, but I think most common (in America as least) are granules. You can also buy liquid dashi (at least in Japan). I used granules, and put in about 1/2 Tbsp per cup of water. Adjust this according to your taste
**Don't be frugal on the Miso. It's a super important flavor so make sure you buy something that is good quality.

Bowl the dashi. Add in any other ingredients and cook through. Using a ladle, move some broth to a separate bowl. Next we are going to add the Miso. BUT THERE IS A TRICK TO IT. Don't just dish the miso in! You will want some sort of strainer/ladle thing, like THIS:

Put the miso in the strainer, and slowly dissolve it into the removed broth. When it is all mixed in, return broth to rest of soup and mix. Add more Miso to taste. Serve and top with green onions, if desired.

**BE CAREFUL!**
It is important that you NOT boil the soup AFTER you have added the miso. It will ruin the flavor!

Tonight, I made mine with Kabocha (squash), Moyashi, Tofu, and Komatsuna (I think?? some leafy green thing). It was supppper tasty.

--JeJira

Shoga Yaki

Jessica here! This blog has been terribly ignored and for that I apologize. I figured since I am now LIVING in Japan, I really should post what I make to feed myself!

I made this the other night, so I will post pictures next time I make it (which will be soon. It was so good!)

(This picture will be replaced with my own next time I make this!)

Shoga Yaki (Ginger (insert your favorite kind of meat here!)

~500g (20 oz?) Meat of your choice! (Pork is most common) (Sliced thin)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
2 Tbsp green onion (finely chopped) {Feel free to use more, though!)
1 tsp fresh ginger- grated
1 tsp oil

*Rice

Mix the soy sauce, mirin, garlic, onions, and ginger in a bowl.
{{*NOTE* I couldn't find cloves or garlic at the super, so I just used powdered. Of course, fresh garlic would be BEST but DO use fresh ginger. This is SHOGA (GINGER) yaki afterall. The ginger is the most important flavor. But it is also VERY STRONG! I used WAY too much the first time I made this. It was still good, but would have been much better with less ginger. A little goes a long way!}}
Pour over meat and marinate for 30-45 mins (Now is a good time to start your rice!!)
Heat oil in a pan. Add meat and brown over high heat. Add the marinade, cover, and cook over medium heat until meat is cooked through (time will vary depending on how thin your meat is cut). Serve with rice!

Serves 2

Enjoy!