Miso 味噌

Miso is fermented soybean paste, which is a key seasoning for washoku , Japanese cuisine, along with shoyu, soy sauce. Miso soup is part of a typical daily washoku meal. Japanese people eat miso almost every day and it helps them maintain good health.

Although I buy miso at the supermarket, I recently had the opportunity to learn how to make miso at a handmade miso class last Sunday.

Miso is made using simple ingredients; soybeans, koji (a preparation made by growing a kind of mold, or microbe, on boiled rice), salt and water. The soybeans should be soaked overnight, boiled until soft and mashed into small pieces. This is the most time-consuming part, but fortunately the instructor had already done that for us before the class.  We only needed to weigh the prepared soybeans and mix them with koji and salt before adding water little by little until the mixture became smooth in texture.

Finally, miso requires the most important element: time! It takes at least nine months for the soybeans to ferment and become miso. As fermentation continues, the taste of the miso deepens and becomes more rich. I am looking forward to tasting my miso this autumn!

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