Five Favourite Miso Recipes

Miso is one of my most used ingredients (for those of you who don’t use it miso is a fermented soy bean paste which tastes amazing). It’s great in soups, stews, broths, dressing and marinades and is even good in sweet things like caramel. It adds a welcome salty umami note as well as somehow being a little sweet. Buying miso can be confusing as they are so many types out there. Here is a low down on my favourite 3.

• White miso – lighter in colour and taste, good for light broths, dressings and in baking or caramel.

• Brown rice miso – generally darker in colour and a little saltier, good for more punchy dressings to stand up against chilli and for tossing roast veg in for the last 5 mins of roasting.

• Red miso – often made from barley is salty and deep in flavour, it’s good for stews, noodle soups and gravies.

If you are using your miso in a soup or a stew, be sure to add miso towards the end of cooking as it helps retain all its goodness. I mix all of the miso the recipes suggests with some cold water until i have a thick but pourable paste and then stir it into a soup or a stew once I have turned the heat off to make sure I am harnessing maximum goodness from the miso.

The brands I most often buy are Clearspring and Tideford organic (not sponsored, I just love them.)

Ramen noodles with fresh greens and chilli miso (pictured above)

Making ramen at home means you can tailor it to your tastes. For me, that means toothsome noodles, fresh greens still with some colour and bite, the pleasing soft texture of tofu – occasionally a little pickle, and a knockout liquor punchy with miso, ginger, chilli and garlic.

Golden miso roast potato salad

For the warming potato salad, I bake the potatoes in miso, then slather them in a tomato-spiked dressing until deeply golden brown, before mixing them with lentils and toasted almonds. A complete meal.

Heidi Swanson’s walnut olive miso magic sauce

A staple recipe from one of my very favourite cooks. This is one of those amazing condiments that can be used in anything from pasta to toast, salads to soups. Heidi says:

It works its magic by making everything it goes on more delicious in a deep, savory, nutty, umami way. You combine toasted walnuts, olives, miso, a dusting of oregano, and a dollop of tahini into a chunky condiment of sorts.

Miso roast squash + potatoes with almonds and kale

This recipe saves a lot of work, as squash, potatoes and greens can be cooked together in one tray. The chilli, miso and lemon combo is a great combination.

Honey and white miso aubergines

This recipe is everything an aubergine should be, soft and buttery on the inside, and burnished and just crisp on the outside. The miso paste that is generously spread on top is a fanfare of flavour. I serve this with brown sushi rice, which I buy in a Japanese supermarket or online. It can be hard to come by – white sushi rice will work at a pinch.