Master the Many Uses of Miso

Sometimes I really love the perks of writing about food. I’m an information junkie. If I had a chance, I’d watch documentaries 24/7. I love understanding how things are made and how they work. One of my favorite food hosts, Alton Brown, made 13 seasons of these Bill Nye-esque cooking shows explaining the details of how different ingredients work and how the chemistry and science of cooking can free you of recipe books forever. I’ve seen them all (some more than once!). So when I was offered the chance to tour a miso factory, I was pumped.

I never imagined miso was a local industry. Although we certainly have no shortage of Asian food establishments and markets, it had not occurred to me that the elevation and climate might lend itself precisely – as it does in Japan at the exact coordinates (on the other side of the globe)of the local Rutherfordton plant – to the creation of a cultured ingredient that promises good health and flavor. So good, in fact, that miso’s flavor is described as “umami,” which, to the Japanese, equates more or less roughly to simply “darned good” and the so-called fifth flavor aside from sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.

Most anyone who’s been to one of Asheville’s many quality Asian food establishments has probably partaken of the standard miso soup. Many of them use Miso Master organic miso, in part because it is a local ingredient, but also because it is a high quality miso. Interestingly, miso has begun to find a presence in new dishes and sauces, and in applications where a higher quality miso begins to really shine.

Great Eastern Sun, the company who makes Miso Master miso, offers seven different flavors of miso, each with a different ingredient or length of aging. As the miso ages, its color deepens, its texture softens, and the flavor develops. Lighter misos are mild in flavor, and in texture about like a goat cheese or thick hummus. Deeper ones have a rich, smoky flavor, very savory, and the texture is more like mousse.  The lighter misos can be used to complement dishes and sauces where a little bit of salty flavor is welcome, and the darker ones in applications where a dark, intense savory note is required.  The traditional red is what we are accustomed to tasting in the standard miso soup.

Touring the plant was an intense experience. Steamy and hot, filled with people focused on their work, and lots and lots of miso. As it turns out, there are many variables in the making of miso, including aging time, temperature and humidity. Rather than a factory-made product, the making of miso is more an art form like wine or cheese making. Since Miso Master is not made using any accellerants to speed the fermentation and culture growth, it is dependent upon the conditions being favorable for a long time. This location provides the perfect setting for what turned out to be pretty darned tasty varieties of miso.

While other companies who make standard miso tend to take the most budget-friendly choices by rushing culture growth and carefully controlling conditions, Great Eastern Sun believes the flavors acquired throughout the seasonal variations in the aging process cannot be duplicated in this way. They have taken it back to the traditional art, down to allowing the koji to incubate and grow weighted down by rocks cleaned only in sea salt, ladling off the tamari (a flavor enhancing “jus” similar to soy sauce that is rich in niacin, manganese, protein and tryptophan). They do not use any accellerants or rush the process in any way, allowing their certified organic, certified kosher, GMO-Free and gluten-free miso to come to its fruition all on its own, in a natural and ultimately artisinal way.

After a complex tour starting with the Koji rooms and ending in the aging room with monstrous, heavy wooden casks with 4 tons of miso in each, I was hungry for some of this miso, so we were taken to a location where we could experiment with the miso flavors.

First we tried the pesto, substituting walnuts for the pine nuts and adding a bit of the sweet white miso along with the basil and garlic. It was tasty, and though we left out the parmesan, the miso added the perfect salty chord in its place.

Next, we tried miso maple syrup. I must admit, I was very VERY skeptical of this one. Our demonstrator blended the sweet white with maple syrup. I’m not sure I’d try pouring this on my kid’s pancakes, but she said hers loved it. It was an interesting flavor, and it reminded me of the way a thick balsamic vinegar can be a complement to vanilla ice cream. I don’t think i’d go far out of my way to make this concoction, but I might experiment with it a few times with French toast, where I imagine it would find a nice sweet/salty home.

Finally we tried a Sriracha Miso BBQ Sauce. I thought the Sriracha flavor overpowered everything, so I have to say I’d reduce the Sriracha by half, at least, and try this one again on my own. Sriracha’s a lead singer, and he can take over the stage if you don’t let the rest of the choir – in this case, the miso, sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar – be heard, too. Since the miso should have added a nice low note to balance the high sharp tones of the Sriracha, I’ll definitely be noodling with the proportions on my own to see what I like best. I think this would make a nice dip for spring rolls or egg rolls, too.

I now have a complement of miso with which to experiment over the next year or so. Miso keeps a long time, even organic miso! I’ll be sure to blog my experiences as I try it in various home kitchen applications.

Meanwhile, you might want to go try some of this miso for yourself. I’m impressed with the quality and attention to detail at the plant. I’m admittedly not a miso expert, but this is definitely a local business that brings what we all love to the table: umami.

You can find Miso Master miso in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods, Earth Fare or online at www.great-eastern-sun.com

DAIRY FREE MISO PESTO

Makes about 1 cup.

Ingredients

• 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 2-4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 c walnuts or pine nuts, toasted
• 1/4 c fresh parsley, de-stemmed
• 2-4 tbsp Miso Master Organic Mellow White
• 1/4 – 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil (try walnut oil for a slightly different nutty flavor)

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Very slowly trickle oil into the top of the machine with motor running, until desired consistency is reached.  Serve with pasta, over vegetables, as a pizza topping, or stir into soup for a flavorful treat!

MISO MAPLE PANCAKE SYRUP

Makes about 1 cup.

Whisk together 4 Tbsp Miso Master Organic Sweet White Miso with 2/3 c organic maple syrup.

Drizzle over pancakes, waffles, plain yogurt, over goat cheese and crackers or anywhere you use syrup or honey.

MISO SRIRACHA BBQ SAUCE

Makes about 1 cup.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp Miso Master Organic Mellow White Miso
• 5 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp sriracha sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Whisk together all ingredients.  Slather over tofu, fish, chicken and all your favorite barbecue recipes.

original recipe from KelseyInCleveland