Miso is a smooth, dark puree made from soybeans, barley or rice with salt that is aged. Barley miso is used most often in daily cooking. If you are just starting to use miso, try Mellow Barley/Sweet White miso or Chick Peaso. These white and yellow misos are lighter and sweeter tasting. Other excellent misos are "hatcho" and "natto." Miso is primarily used in soups like bullion.
Miso is reputed to have several health promoting qualities:
- Strengthens the immune system
- Detoxifies the bloodstream of pollution, radiation and nicotine
- Contains lactic acid and enzymes to aid digestion
A wide variety of organic misos can be purchased at your local natural food stores.
Ingredients: - Makes 4 servings
- 1/4 cup onion, sliced in thin half moons
- 1/4 cup cabbage, sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup carrot, sliced in thin rounds
- 14 cup winter squash, sliced in thin matchsticks
- 1 inch piece of wakame sea vegetable
- 4 cups of water
- 2-4 teaspoons barley miso (1/2-1 teaspoon per cup)
Directions:
- Soak wakame sea vegetable in a pot with water for 5 minutes.
- Remove from pot and slice. Return to pot of water, bring to a boil, reduce flame to medium and let simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- When done, add sliced vegetables and simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Dilute miso in a small amount of hot soup broth, and only add the miso to the soup that you are going to eat now.
- Simmer for the final 2-3 minutes, which means steam comes off the top, but no bubbles come up from below. Do not boil.
- Garnish with parsley or scallions.