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| Home made miso |
Last year during a holiday in Wakayama, Japan,
I visited a shop that specialized in making miso. Learned a lot from the owner,
and it is a preparation that used to be done at home every winter, by mixing
cooked soy bean with fermented rice and salt, very simple, just need to wait.
The shop sells a dried fermented rice cake
as starter, I did not buy it but used my home made fermented rice instead. I
also read a book on Japanese preserves to learn that we can actually use less
salt, so the miso is easier to use more, for having more fermented rice and
bean flavor.
I followed the recipe and waited a year
before using, the smell is wonderful, the taste is a combination of mild sweetness
of rice wine and savory umami bean, totally different from shop bought
ones. Traditionally miso is made in early winter when it is cold, and takes 6
months minimum before using.
250gm fermented rice
300gm cooked and mashed soy bean
80 gm salt
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| fermented rice |
1. Ferment rice as in making rice wine, use
the rice after 2 days of fermentation so that it is less runny.
2. Cook soy bean in water with a tsp of
baking soda to make the water alkaline, easier to soften, the bean should stay
whole.
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| cooked soy bean |
3. Mash up bean to a paste, mix with rice
and salt.
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| mashed soy bean |
4. Place in a glass jar to 2/3 full,
sprinkle a little salt on the surface, cover with cling film and keep in a cold
dark corner. The fermented rice will make it ferment and bubbling.
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| Fermented rice with soy bean and salt |
5. Store in the fridge when warm weather
comes, I found the fragrant develops more after a year.
