Tag Archives: Food

Advanced Miso Soup Recipe

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miso soupMiso Soup is a traditional part of Japanese cuisine. It is often served as a side for meals, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  I’ve done another, more simple version of this dish before.  If you want a simple miso soup, check it out.  The thing that makes this recipe different, and so much better, is that I make the dashi (broth) from scratch rather than from a packet of hon dashi.  Doing everything yourself will elevate a great bowl of soup to something really special.

Ingredients

  • 10 cups water
  • 8″ Combu (a type of dried seaweed)
  • Bonito flakes (use suggested amount on package, about 45g)
  • 8 tbsp Miso
  • Optional – Vegetables, tofu, meat, garlic, pepper

*Note- these ratios will make about 4-5 large servings.  You can divide as desired.

Directions

Start a large pot of water boiling, about 10 cups.  Add two sections of combu, usually about 4″ in length each.  While the combu boils complete the rest of your mise en place.  What you put in your miso soup is up to you.  It can be nothing but miso, or full of hearty vegetables.  My favorite additions are onion, carrots, and daikon.

Once the color of your water starts to turn a little green, remove the combu from the water.  You want to do this before the combu begins to break apart.   Next you’ll add your bonito flakes.  These are essentially shavings of smoked fish.  There are many kinds but you may be limited to only one type.  If you can’t find bonito, you can use fish and fish bones to flavor the soup as you would with any stock.

Remove the fish flakes after about 10 seconds of soak time.  The package of bonito flakes should have a suggested water to weight ratio along with suggested boiling time.

Once you’ve strained the broth you have dashi that can be used in any number of dishes.  Use it as a broth for nabe, reduce it for use in chanpuru or boil rice for cha han to add extra flavor.  If you’re set on miso soup then add your vegetables.  In the video, I added enoki mushrooms, onions, and shima tofu all at once.  I did it that way because they all cook at around the same speed.  If you add root vegetables, put them in earlier to cook before adding things like onions or tofu.  Chicken or white fish also work well.

Once your vegetables have cooked for a few minutes and look about half way done, you’ll want to add your miso.  Reduce the heat so that your dashi is no longer boiling.  There are three ways you can add your miso.

  1. Add miso directly to the pot – I suggest against this as it will lead to clumps that might tangle in your vegetables and be unappetizing.
  2. Use a ladle to remove a bit of broth and work the miso into a soft paste that will dissolve more easily into the soup.  This works but can be tricky if some of your miso escapes.
  3. Remove a bit of broth from the soup in a bowl and dissolve the miso completely, repeating as necessary.  The best option though it can be time-consuming.

Let the miso soup simmer for at least 3 minutes on low heat. Check to ensure the soup does not boil.  Serve and enjoy.  I suggest finishing the soup with fresh chives.  The soup will reheat well enough from the fridge or even from a freezer, though it is best when fresh.

Thanks for reading!  If you try this or any recipe please let me know how it works for you.  If you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

Okinawan Black Sugar Candy – Kokuto

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IMG_3030Okinawa has its own history and culture, which is reflected in the foods you’ll find here. Since Okinawa is so far to the south, you will also find that many of the fields are filled with satokibi, or sugarcane. It might not surprise you then that one of Okinawa’s local treats is a kind of Black Sugar candy made directly from the juice of sugar cane plants.  The name of the treat comes from the kanji symbols for black and the second half of sugar.

Making Black Sugar

The process of making the sugar candy is interesting in its subtle complexity. Essentially, the candy is a distillation of the sugarcane juice, but in practice, a lot more goes into it. I was invited to a local factory to observe the creation of some of this delicious sugar candy.

IMG_2837The locals create batches of kokuto twice a week during sugarcane season (January through April).  They begin at six in the morning with around 600 sugar cane stalks.  The harvested stalks are cut from a field and the leaves are removed.  The sugarcane juice is extracted by a large rolling press.  The stalks yield around 400 liters of juice that are then placed in large pots over a fire to boil.

Since the sugarcane juice is acidic, bases are used to bring the liquid up to a ph that is more readily consumable.  Afterwards, the solution is left to condense over the flames for around 5 hours.  As the liquid condenses, it is moved to one pot.  In the last hour, the liquid is stirred as it begins to coagulate into a cross between sugar and molasses.  The dark liquid bubbles and is stirred and checked for the right consistency.

IMG_2886

IMG_2960When the workers determine that the process is finished, they transfer the liquid to nabe (large pots) to cool.  The liquid is stirred vigorously to introduce air into the cooling sugar candy so that it will not be too hard.  Once the liquid is nearly cool it is transferred to pans to rest.  Just before they become completely hard, the cooling kokuto is scored so that it will be easier to create blocks later.

IMG_2987The most delicious kokuto is said to be the thin wafers of kokuto that cool on the sides of the nabe.  Since they are the most aerated and are layered from the stirring of the liquid  they are indeed delicious.

More on Kokuto

Most large scale operations will involve more steps, chemicals, and more uniform results. The process I describe here is the local method on a small island in Okinawa.  The Oyatsumura factory and shop started out making kokuto in the garden for family and friends and developed over ten years to the still small but popular operation it is today.  The hand made black sugar candy is delicious and special.  You can order by calling the number listed on the Ultimate English Guide page, or stop by Kumejima to try some yourself!

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How Miso is Made

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MisoBeans Ever wonder what miso is?  If you’ve been to Japan or eaten at a Japanese restaurant, you’ve likely had or at least seen miso.  I remember my first time having miso soup.  I was in college trying out a little Japanese restaurant that had popped up just outside the UofA.  I was pretty green as far as Japanese food went so I ordered teriyaki chicken (I’m sure the chef was thinking all kinds of bad things about me).  Before the meal, a bowl of soup appeared.  It was a clear broth with some kind of brown particles floating in it.  I tried the soup, but the flavor was so different from anything I had eaten before.  I didn’t really enjoy it, but then it quickly grew on me.  Now, I look forward to miso, be it in my soup, as a glaze for fish, or in the middle of a rice ball.

I’ve studied Japan for a long time, and for most of that time I’ve always translated miso as ‘fermented soy bean paste.’  Just like soy sauce, miso is made from soy, but that is only part of the story.  A few weeks ago, my island had its sangyo matsuri where I was able to meet one of the people who make miso here (Kumejima‘s miso is quite popular).  I was interested in the process so I wrangled a visit to the factory.

One of the first things I found out is that they don’t make miso all the time.  Traditionally, miso was something made at home.  Each family would make their own miso for their own use.  As with so many things, the miso making skills are fading with the convenience of store-bought foods.  Still, there are a few places that still do local miso.  Since it is a fermented product, the temperature is an important factor, thus miso can only be made in moderate seasons.  If it gets too cold, or too hot, the fermentation wont go on as well.

The process also takes more than three months.  At the small local factories, they make large batches two or three times a year as needed.  The rest of the time, they focus on other projects or on creating new items.

Day One

I was actually shocked to learn that miso is mostly rice and has few other ingredients.  Overall, only boiled rice, soybeans, salt, and koujikin make up the delicious, umami food that is such a huge part of Asian cooking.

MisoSteaming

On the first day of production, large amounts of rice are steamed.  At Aguritto, the factory I visited, they use two large boiler/box steamers to steam 35kg of rice in two batches. The rice takes about two hours to steam, after which it is removed to large wooden trays with blanket linings that absorb excess water to cool. These blankets replace the rice stalks that were traditionally used. Once the rice has cooled, the koujikin is added.  Koujikin is a fungus (Aspergillus oryzae) that acts as the catalyst in the fermentation of many Japanese foods and alcohol. It replaces the human saliva originally used to make sake.  The rice is bundled into the blankets and left to dry and ferment for two days.

Day Two

MisoRiceThe second day of work on a miso batch starts three days after the rice is cooked. Roughly 2/3 the amount of beans are used in relation to the rice. they are also steamed then cooled. The beans are sent through a large grinder to process them. The fermented rice is also removed from storage and broken up into manageable batches.

Once everything is prepared, each rice batch is added to a drum mixer with salt and a measure of the processed beans. Once everything is well mixed, it is packed into containers and sealed against the air. These packages are left in a dark area for two to three months to ferment.

MisoMix

MisoPackageThere are many kinds of miso, all with different purposes. The color and flavor of the miso changes with the time allotted for fermentation. The miso made in the video is for soup and will end as a light brown. The picture to the left is a much darker version used in cooking that has fermented far longer.

Aguritto’s miso is just one of several companies that produce miso on the island. Some households still make their own since it is a simple process (though it requires significant planning and patience). This company has only been making miso for about two years, based on Fujiko-oba’s recipe. I made an advanced miso soup recipe that turned out very well, and I can attest that local will likely beat out the major brands any day.

MisoPacks

 

Now that you know what’s in miso, try a few recipes on your own!

IMG_2373

Miso Onigiri

Miso Soup

Miso Soup

Papaya Irichi Recipe

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Papaya is a fruit that comes to mind when you think of the tropics.  It comes from a quick-growing palm-like tree that produces the large fruit.  In Okinawa, it is common and a good food source when typhoons or other items disturb regular non-local food supplies.  Aside from a sweet fruit when orange and ripe, it can also be used as a vegetable if taken when still green.  Here’s a recipe for Papaya Irichi, another Okinawan stir fry similar to chanpuru, but with some key differences.  Checkout the video below for a visual take!

Ingredients

  • 1 Green papaya
  • ½ small onion
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 burdock root (about 16 inches)
  • 1 large can tuna in oil
  • ½ bunch green onion
  • 1tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper, powdered garlic
  • ½ packet dashi
  • 2tbsp soy sauce
  • 3tbsp rice vinegar

Recipe

Start out by preparing the papaya.  Remove the outer skin.  You can use a peeler, but it is easier to simply cut it away.  The papaya might have a somewhat unfortunate smell, or release a bit of sticky fluid, but don’t worry.  Cut the papaya into quarters and remove the seeds.  They should still be white if your papaya is unripe.  They tend to pop out, so it is best to scrape them out directly into a garbage bag.  Fill a bowl or pot half way with water and sprinkle some salt in.  Grate the papaya into the water, being careful to not cut yourself.  The inner core of the papaya will be a bit tougher, so you need not grate all the way through it.  Let the papaya rest in the water while you prepare your other vegetables.

Since you’ll be doing a stir fry, you want all the vegetables of similar size and texture so that they cook at the same temperature.  Grate your carrot, or slice it into thin strips.  The burdock root won’t do well in a grater, so either chop it, or use a peeler to create narrow thin strips.  Make sure you remove the outer skin on the burdock root and rinse the peeled burdock before use.  Cut the onion into roughly the same size as your other vegetables.  Slice green onions no more than centimeter width and set aside.

Empty your tuna into a large fry pan and turn the heat to medium.  The reason I suggest tune in oil, instead of in water is that you’ll need a bit of oil to keep things from burning, and the tuna oil will add extra flavor you’d miss out on by draining tuna and adding separate oil or spray.  As the tuna begins to heat, drain your papaya well, pressing out as much moisture as possible.  Add the papaya over the tuna.  This is where one of the differences between irichi and chanpuru come in.  You’ll want to cook irichi over a medium heat for a slower longer cook that will blend the flavors and less water containing ingredients together.  In a chanpuru you cook over high heat and release more water from the vegetables.

Add salt and pepper to the papaya and stir.  Add the burdock root.  Stir occasionally after about two minutes add the carrots and onion.

Add dashi and garlic, soy, and vinegar.  Continue stirring.  The irichi should reduce in volume by about a quarter, taste it and add more salt or vinegar if needed.  Add the green onions and stir.  When everything comes together in a well cooked, but not soggy combination, you have papaya irichi.  Serve and enjoy!

Papaya irichi is commonly a side dish with a bright flavor provided by the vinegar.  This is the other aspect of irichi that is different from chanpuru.  The vinegar plays well against the umami flavors of dashi and soy.

 

Cabbage and Tofu Chanpuru

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Today marks the start of my fifth year in Japan, and since school is out and there won’t be a School Lunch post this week, I thought it only proper to revisit my very first blog post on More Things Japanese.  Back then I did a recipe for Goya Chanpuru.  Today, I bring you another, more common version of this Okinawan favorite.

Ingredients

  • Small block of Tofu cut into large cubes
  • 1 small cabbage
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 onion
  • 1 green pepper (or several small ones)
  • bean sprouts (about a large handful)
  • Mushrooms (1 package)
  • Meat (SPAM, sausage, or pork work well)
  • 1 packet of dashi
  • 1 tbsp powdered garlic
  • black pepper
  • 2tbsp soy sauce
  • 2tbsp Vegetable oil

Recipe

Prepare your vegetables.  Peel a carrot, then use the peeler to shave the outside down.  You don’t need to use the core.  Slice the onions and green peppers.  Wash and rinse bean sprouts and cabbage.

Remove the cabbage’s outer leaves.  Wash the cabbage, then remove the core and slice roughly.  Place a large skillet or wok on high and add about 2tbsp vegetable oil.  Add the cabbage.  Let the cabbage cook, stirring occasionally until it just begins to wilt.  Add the other vegetables (not the sprouts).  Continue cooking until the cabbage cooks down enough to make room for the sprouts.  Add the bean sprouts and continue cooking.

Add a touch of black pepper,  meat, and tofu.  Cook about a minute, then season with garlic powder and dashi.  Try to keep the water at the bottom of the pan to a minimum since you want fried vegetables instead of boiled vegetables.  Tilt the pan while pushing back the veggies in order to let the heat focus on the liquid.  Add soy sauce.  Let the soy sauce mix with the rest of the liquid and evaporate a bit, then return the pan and stir well.  Continue stirring occasionally until all the vegetables are thoroughly cooked, but not soggy.

Serve and enjoy.