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No-Miss
Miso
This soybean paste is a classic ingredient in Japanese
cooking that couples well with American ingenuity.
By Jean Patterson - Cooking Light, March 2001
MISO
SOUP WITH ENOKI MUSHROOMS
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When I worked
as an English teacher in Taiwan, my cleverest class
was a group of middle-aged architects. No matter what
lesson plan I had in mind, my student would eventually
divert the conversation to one of three topics: sumo
wrestling, Jackie Chan movies, or young bachelor relatives
who were eager to meet me.
Although I was
able to veer my students away from these topics, one
sure way to make me abandon a lesson plan was the promise
of food. It took only three words to convince me: "Wo-men
ching ni," meaning "Our treat."
Although the
promised bachelors never materialized, the meals that
did were amazing. Because my student loved Japanese
food, we would often hold class in a restaurant's private
tatami room, feasting on sushi, sashimi, broiled eel,
and my newfound favorite: miso soup. I remember watching,
transfixed, as granules of miso - soybean paste - alternately
suspended themselves in the broth and then settled to
the bottom again.
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After I moved back
to the States, I tried to duplicate the foods I'd enjoyed
in Asia, especially the miso soup. With help from the roommate's
mother, who had trained as a chef in her native Japan, I learned
to use miso as a basic seasoning in many other Japanese dishes.
As we cooked together in my kitchen, she taught me the subtle
variations between different misos. I learned that light miso
is sweeter, whereas red miso has a stronger, saltier flavor.
But miso isn't just
for Japanese food. Used sparingly, it can add depth to dressings,
marinades, and sauces. I like to swirl light miso into vegetable
soup just before serving to provide an extra flavor boost.
The richer red miso lends an exotic flair to fish and tofu
marinades.
Whenever I whip up
a steaming bowl of miso soup, I silently thank my former students
for sharing their love of Japanese food with me. Who knows
where I'd be today if they had gotten me hooked on sumo wrestling?
_________________________
Jean Patterson has also written for Veggie Life,
the Los Angeles Times, and other publications.
MISO
SOUP WITH ENOKI MUSHROOMS
Look for bonito
at Asian food markets or in the ethnic section of the supermarket.
It's a traditional ingredient in miso soup, but if you can't
find it, it's okay to omit it - just be aware that you'll
lose the seafood flavor in the broth.
6 cups boiling water
1/4 cup dried shaved bonito (dry fish flakes)
2 tablespoons yellow miso (soybean paste)
2 tablespoons red miso (soybean paste)
1/2 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup enoki mushrooms
4 ounces firm tofu, drained and cubed
Combine water and
bonito; let stand 2 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine
sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Bring the liquid to a boil
in a large saucepan. Add yellow and red miso and soy sauce;
stir well with a whisk until smooth. Divide the enoki mushrooms
and tofu evenly among 6 soup bowls, and ladle 1 cup soup into
each bowl.
6 servings.
CALORIES
40 (21% from fat); FAT 0.9g (sat 0.1g); PROTEIN 2g; CARB 5.1g;
FIBER 0.2g; CHOL 1mg; IRON 1mg; SODIUM 407mg; CALC 20mg.
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