Miso Glazed?

[jfood]

The jfoods have been reducing fats and increasing flavors recently and lots of recipes jfood finds calls for a miso glaze. Looking through the grocers is not helping him find what he thinks is the right ingredient.

So what should jfood look for?

Is it a powder, a paste, a liquid?

This will be absolutely basic to some of you but is confusing the heck out of jfood.

TIA

[EggrollCraig]

Miso was one of those occult ingredients I'd never in my life heard of! Then I went on a quest to make golden shrimp, like I've had in Japanese restaurants. After much searching, I eventually found a recipe. I'd had these shrimp 20 years ago, and never forgot the taste!

Turns out you make your own "mayonnaise" with an egg yolk, some rice-wine vinegar, yellow color (I use annato oil) and about a half- to three-quarters cup of oil. When the mayo is nice and creamy, add in miso paste, starting with 1 tsp, but increase to taste. (You can taste it raw with no problems.)

Steam the shrimp in Mirin (or cooking rice wine), then spoon the miso-paste-flavored "mayo" over the rice, and serve as a topping for the shrimp. You can add in lemon juice or whatever else you'd like.

Miso paste has a totally unique flavor, and probably that's why I remembered it for 20 years, having had it only once in my life. I originally found yellow miso in one grocery store, but they don't carry it now. Then I found "Korean Miso Glaze" in a local Meijer (Chicago Illinois stores). I'm assuming I can find it at an Asian market, but haven't been there yet.

It's very salty when tasted on its own, but when you add it *sparingly* to other ingredients, it gives a sort of voluptuous or sumptuous addition. I use it sometimes in macaroni salads (seafood), but I also use the miso-mayo as a topping over cooked fish, like salmon.

[Boccone Dolce]

So... I had a tasty, tasty miso glazed fried eggplant and I want to attempt it at home. I don't think I'll be going to the asian grocery anytime soon, what am I looking for on line- miso paste? white seems to be 'mild' and red is more 'assertive' according to organic-direct.

I'll use it in soups, to make glazed stuff- is the white more versatile?
Maybe I should just buy both. Bah!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Up above I said something about grilled miso eggplant. Here's a tip for sauteed (not deep fried) miso eggplant. Salt thick eggplant rounds, let sit, squeeze out moisture, coat with miso mixed with quite a bit of lime juice and bit of sugar; sautee in a bit of oil. As the rounds start to take up the oil and want more, add water bit by bit. Eggplant will take up any quantity of oil or water equally.

[greenstate]

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

This recipe from Epicurious is one of my favorites. It is marinated rather than glazed and very subtle. I make one small change to the recipe. I add a couple of tablespoons of the marinade to the beurre blanc before I serve it.

[Megiac]

Thanks to this post, I made miso glazed black cod last night. It was delicious. I did the glaze with 50% red miso paste, 25% mirin, and 25% honey, brushed that on the fillets and let them marinate for 45 minutes. Then I roasted them in a 400 degree oven until just done. I served them with a rice and pea salad and stri fried bok choy. It was a very tasty dinner!

[aussiewonder]

Ditto, thanks for the post and good info. I've been having a miso-cod craving but am a miso-novice and wasn't really sure where to start - kind of figured i'd just slap the miso on the fillet and let it work it's magic, good thing i checked! so this post has helped put me straight and inspired me. Tonight is the night! I'll report back.

[scubadoo97]

Nobu-Style Miso:
3/4 cup mirin
1/2 cup sake
2 cups white miso paste
1 cup sugar

[aussiewonder]

Thanks scubadoo97, I'll try those specifics. I made cod last night using Megiac's proportions but it certainly didn't have that delectable-morish flavour that i was hoping for. I used white and not red miso so not sure if that was it. Anyone have any other helpful tips?

[cvhound]

How long did you marinate your fish? This recipe Nobu's black cod calls for marinating the fish in miso for 2-3 days.

http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipedetail.php?Alias=RE_WP3099
http://www.rasamalaysia.com/2007/04/r...

[gmm]

I've tried the Nobu-Style Miso recipe and prefer a kasuzuke type marinade for black cod. The marinade doesn't have to be cooked and I've also subbed Splenda for the sugar and it still comes out great.

1 cup sake kasu (also called sake lees)
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons white miso
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sake

I find it easiest to combine everything in a food processor. Marinate the fish in the mixture for at least a day. It's also nice on salmon.

[jfood]

Thanks everyone for the midcourse correction. jfood will report back after the next attempt.

[jfood]

jfood checking back in and thanks to all for your advice.

Jfood bought a 1 pound bag of white miso in the Oriental Grocer last night, about the size of a fist and not white but more a beigey-tan color.

Bought a nice piece of halibut to glaze.

First thing he did was read the label when he got home and was surprised at the Sodium level - >800Mg/Tablespoon. But onward he marched.

Mixed with some soy, mirin, water and lemon juice. Still incredibly salty (yeah he knows why add the soy but it was low sodium, like that now matters). And onto the grill. Sat down with little jfood, (only seasoned hers with spices, not miso, until jfood the guinea-pig tasted his). Well to describe it as blech would be kind. Suffered through it since the fish was so moist.

So next time jfood is going to try some maple syrup or honey or brown sugar. Wish him luck.

If anyone has their package handy, could you check and see what the sodium content is? or if you could revert on whether it is salty by nature and that's why you add the sugary stuff to cut the saltiness.

TIA once again.

[hannaone]

Doenjjang (Korean Miso) has 740mg per tablespoon. Unless they say low sodium, 700 to 850 mg should be about normal.
I have only seen low sodium twice in the past few years, so it is probably hard to find.

[Sam Fujisaka]

jfood, perhaps: coat the halibut with a miso-lemon-sugar paste and leave overnight. The salt will draw out moisture from the fish, making the flesh firmer. I wouldn't add soy or water or mirin to miso.

[Louise]

Jfood, try this one.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/dat...

The sugar does balance out the salty. And yes, miso is salty, which is why it is used in small amounts. Next time you go to this shop, compare the sodium levels of different misos.

[soupkitten]

i am at work; we have "'westbrae natural' unpasteurized organic white miso" here. it has 540 mg sodium per tbsp. miso is many things, and perhaps not an instantly acquired taste for some, but it is not really low-sodium. i agree that some honey, brown sugar, or maple syrup would make a nicer glaze w miso. i wish jfood luck.

here's a salad dressing you might want to try later:

3 tbsp white or red miso
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp apple cider vin or rwv
1 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp water

blend miso, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil in blender or food processer
w machine running slowly pour in the oil to emulsify. slowly pour in water, blend 10 seconds. dressing should be smooth & have mayonnaise consistency. keeps 4 days refrigerated.

[mlgb]

I agree with blech. If you're buying a nice piece of fresh fish which is not exactly cheap why cover it up with miso. Gack. I don't understand how some of these trends get started.

[MeowMixx]

I love the miso marinated cod (you can also use seabass, salmon, etc ) a la Matsuhisa.

Mix together white miso (say about four spoons), lots of sugar (about 2-3), equal parts of sake and mirin (quarter cup or so). Marinate the fish - usually about 24 hours. Brush off most of the marinate and broil. Sooo good!

[another_adam]

Yes, sounds you were missing the sweet component to round out the salty. I find a lot of miso fish recipes out there to be *too* sweet, but in general I do about one part miso mixed into one part sake+mirin+sugar (in about equal proportions). I let it marinate and cook, and then take some of the marinating sauce and bring to a boil, then finish with a splash of rice vinegar and shoyu. (I know, the boiling kills beneficial things, but in this case also the malicious things :) you could just set aside some of the mix and not half to boil it, if you're coordinated)
This is very similar to the proportions one might use for miso spaghetti, as well.

I personally would steer clear of things like brown sugar or maple, the miso is complex enough and I think a "neutral" sweetness goes best. It may take a couple tries to find the level of sweetness that you like, and that matches the particular miso that you got.

[Megiac]

Rather than a glaze, for pork chops, I really like to saute a bit of shallots and possible ginger in the pan drippings, deglaze with red wine and then stir in a few tablespoons of red miso for an interesting flavored sauce. The sauce is also great with seared tuna, but in that case, you want to use a separate pan.

[soupkitten]

that sounds really good!
just a note-- miso should not ever actually be brought to a boil-- you'll kill the beneficial cultures-- similar to boiling yogurt or cheese. the miso should be added to a sauce or broth *after* it boils, when the temperature is dropping again. Megiac sounds like she's doing it correctly, but thought i'd jump in to add this.

[jbyoga]

I recommend making a glaze with white miso and maple syrup in equal quantities.

Add a touch of sesame oil and you've got a great start.

Search for miso glazed tofu as I've posted it a while back. You can sub anything for the tofu really.

have fun!

[Louise]

Fair warning: some varieties of miso look exactly like peanut butter. A rude suprise if you're making a sandwich.

Miso paste (not glaze) is also the basis for miso soup.

[bbc]

You can find a wider variety of miso paste in Asian grocers if you're near one. I think it's worth it to find one without msg, but that's my preference & in Asian grocers there's little $$ difference. I love miso paste on fish particularly (also healthy healthy) - like in this recipe. Good luck with expanding your flavors!!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/rec...

[soupkitten]

i agree-- you can find white miso in any grocery store (refrigerated section, often by the tofu, sometimes by the yogurt though)-- but the best selection is in asian supermarkets. i always have a few kinds of miso in the fridge the same way i have a few kinds of cheese-- but the miso keeps indefinitely.

white miso is mildest and is a gateway drug to stronger red misos, barley misos, etc.-- in general the lighter the color of the miso the milder the flavor will be. my preference is to buy the most natural (traditional) types of miso, with no added preservatives or msg

natural food stores have good selections of miso too, often local artisanal brands worth checking out, and usually without msg.

couple of topics on miso:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/394444
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/336578

[QueenB]

On a similar note, how long will an open container of miso stay good in the fridge?

[soupkitten]

i've never had miso go bad before i've used it up, Queen B! i think the longest i've kept miso is 2 years, but most is used up far quicker than that. in japan it's common to keep your miso, unrefrigerated & on the kitchen counter, until it is used up-- it just *doesn't* go bad in my experience.

i refrigerate the miso in its original packaging if it comes in a little plastic tub; for vacuum packed miso i usually empty it into a glass jar and keep it in the door of the fridge--well labeled (or i run into the problem Louise describes below)!!!

[QueenB]

Thanks, that's good to know!

[mschow]

So glad you asked this question. I have often had miso glazed fish at restaurants, and it is delicious. I also thought this was some type of soy sauce type mixture you could buy in a jar. Off today to the Asian market.

[jdf]

I know William-Sonoma has a premade one in a jar. Can't vouch for its quality, though, as I've never tried it.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Miso glaze = miso paste mixed with at bit of lemon or lime juice and possibly a bit of sugar. Today we grilled eggplant rounds brushed with oil. When turned, brush on miso mixed with lime juice. Simple--and good enough that there were no leftovers.

[noahbirnel]

Most things called 'miso glazed' are spread with a mixture of miso and honey (or brown sugar or mirin) before being baked, broiled or grilled.

I'm not sure you're going to find something in the supermarket called miso glaze. You just have to mix the miso and the honey together yourself.

[jfood]

N

Is miso itself a powder?

[operagirl]

Miso, in its most common form, is a paste. It's often sold in margarine tub-sized containers, near the tofu in the refrigerated section, and if you don't see it there you can always find it in Japanese or Chinese grocery stores.

Miso paste comes in different varieties -- white, or light miso, and red, or dark miso. I'd start with the white miso, as it's milder in flavor, and also probably what most recipes you're looking at have in mind.

[jfood]

on the to-do list today as the weather looks a little non-poolish today.