Miso (soya bean paste)

It is the basic ingredient in misoshiru, the most common type of Japanese soup, which accompanies most meals.
To make this, boil a selection of vegetables, cut into small pieces; adding ‘dashi’ stock to the water improves the taste, as does starting with a few pieces of konbu (seaweed) and adding the other vegetables when the water starts to boil; these could include potatoes, carrots, mushrooms (sliced), green beans, onion, shiitake and small cubes of tofu - not all of these ingredients together, but perhaps 3 or 4.

Shortly before serving, add the miso paste - about 1 tablespoon per person, although you should really use a wooden or plastic spoon, not metal; and it is better to mix it first with a little hot water (taken from the soup pan) to make a smoother paste before adding it to the soup. Finally, add some chopped spring onions, the green part as well as the white bulb, and serve. Do not cook the spring oinions; they can be eaten raw anyway.

Miso dengaku - a simple, tasty side-dish made with vegetables and miso paste

The paste can also be used to good effect as a flavouring for roasted vegetables:

cut aubergines (eggplant) or courgettes (zucchini) into slices, about 1.5cm or half an inch thick; soak them in salt water, drain and dry; then brush with a little oil and roast in the oven at 180 C for about 8 - 10 minutes, but be careful not to let them burn. You can spread a little of the paste on top before cooking, but be extra careful: this burns easily and can make the vegetables rather tough.

The miso paste should be mixed with a little saké and / or water, and / or mirin (sweet saké) - or sugar if you don’t have mirin. But don’t overdo it: about 2 tbs. of liquid for 80 g of miso. Mix these together and heat gently in a pan, stirring constantly, until smooth. This can be made in advance and left to cool. It is then spread on top of the vegetable slices before eating.