There's Something About Miso
May 23rd 2007 03:40
I have this crazy fascination with Miso Soup this week. Although I normally only have it for lunch as an appetiser, I was informed that the Japanese have it at all meal times - even for breakfast!
A very healthy meal option with a low calorie count, the steaming broth made from miso paste and bonito flakes is a great comfort food option. It's diversity enables it to be served as a breakfast, an appetizer, a stand-alone soup course, or a full entree.
Miso paste is a grain fermented with soybeans. Depending on what grains and ingredients are fermented along with the soybeans, the miso paste will develop a different taste. How long the miso has been fermented is what gives it the particular color. Miso paste can be fermented for as little as one month or up to as long as three years.
Miso is a Japanese culinary staple, both in traditional and modern cooking, and has been gaining world-wide interest. High in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, miso plays an important nutritional role in feudal Japan.
Many traditional Japanese confections uses a sweet, thick miso version as a glaze. These treats are strongly associated with Japanese festivals. The consistency of the miso glaze ranges from thick and taffy-like to thin and drippy.
Some studies suggests that miso can help treat radiation sickness. This is specifically citing cases in Japan and Russia where people have been fed miso after the nuclear disaster and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Other various benefits of the Miso are:
- cancer prevention
- detoxification
- stomach ulcer prevention
- anti-aging
- promotes digestion
- protects from harmful substances of tabacco
I suppose the Miso does contain some great health components, since the world's oldest people live in Japan! Japan has been keeping track of its long-lived residents since 1963. There were about one hundred people over the age of 100 in Japan back then. The number had risen to 25,000 by the end of 2005. Japan even has an offical holiday - Day of the Elderly, to commemorate these centenarians.
So, if the Japanese are literally living off Miso and are having it every single day, at every meal... they're definitely on to something!
Here's a simple Miso soup recipe which you can try out at home:
Water - 1 litre
Bonito fish stock (Hondashi) - 1 tablespoon
Miso paste - 4 heaped tablespoons
Tofu - 1 packet
Spring onions - 1 bunch
Add the water and fish stock to a large saucepan, and bring gently to the boil. Finely chop the spring onions, and chop the tofu into small cubes. Once the stock is boiling return to a simmer. Add the miso paste to the saucepan. Slowly mix in the miso paste until it all disappears, and continue to simmer gently. Finally, slowly mix in the chopped tofu and spring onions and continue to simmer until all of the ingredients in the soup becomes warm. It is now ready to serve!
Have fun adding other ingredients like noodles, mushrooms, radish and other vegetables.
A very healthy meal option with a low calorie count, the steaming broth made from miso paste and bonito flakes is a great comfort food option. It's diversity enables it to be served as a breakfast, an appetizer, a stand-alone soup course, or a full entree.
Miso paste is a grain fermented with soybeans. Depending on what grains and ingredients are fermented along with the soybeans, the miso paste will develop a different taste. How long the miso has been fermented is what gives it the particular color. Miso paste can be fermented for as little as one month or up to as long as three years.
Miso is a Japanese culinary staple, both in traditional and modern cooking, and has been gaining world-wide interest. High in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, miso plays an important nutritional role in feudal Japan.
Many traditional Japanese confections uses a sweet, thick miso version as a glaze. These treats are strongly associated with Japanese festivals. The consistency of the miso glaze ranges from thick and taffy-like to thin and drippy.
Some studies suggests that miso can help treat radiation sickness. This is specifically citing cases in Japan and Russia where people have been fed miso after the nuclear disaster and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Other various benefits of the Miso are:
- cancer prevention
- detoxification
- stomach ulcer prevention
- anti-aging
- promotes digestion
- protects from harmful substances of tabacco
I suppose the Miso does contain some great health components, since the world's oldest people live in Japan! Japan has been keeping track of its long-lived residents since 1963. There were about one hundred people over the age of 100 in Japan back then. The number had risen to 25,000 by the end of 2005. Japan even has an offical holiday - Day of the Elderly, to commemorate these centenarians.
So, if the Japanese are literally living off Miso and are having it every single day, at every meal... they're definitely on to something!
Here's a simple Miso soup recipe which you can try out at home:
Water - 1 litre
Bonito fish stock (Hondashi) - 1 tablespoon
Miso paste - 4 heaped tablespoons
Tofu - 1 packet
Spring onions - 1 bunch
Add the water and fish stock to a large saucepan, and bring gently to the boil. Finely chop the spring onions, and chop the tofu into small cubes. Once the stock is boiling return to a simmer. Add the miso paste to the saucepan. Slowly mix in the miso paste until it all disappears, and continue to simmer gently. Finally, slowly mix in the chopped tofu and spring onions and continue to simmer until all of the ingredients in the soup becomes warm. It is now ready to serve!
Have fun adding other ingredients like noodles, mushrooms, radish and other vegetables.
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