Miso-paste and miso-soup: learn the secrets of Japanese cuisine!

In Japanese traditional cuisine, there are many different soups, but the most favorite is miso soup.

Miso is a bean paste obtained by fermentation. Miso-paste is a mandatory attribute of a Japanese meal in the same way as rice. The composition of the pasta is cooked and mashed soy beans, in which malt and salt are added. This mixture is left to ferment for a period of one week to a full year. Soybeans were popular and were the main food of the Japanese back in ancient times. There are reports that soybeans to Japan were brought from China more than two thousand years ago.

Miso paste can act as a preservative, so mixing raw fish with miso, you can keep it fresh for a few weeks. From miso-paste prepare a tasty sauce for vegetables, as well as a sauce for the dish "dengaku", which consists of fried or boiled vegetables with soy cottage cheese tofu. In addition, there is another dish that can not be cooked without an ingredient such as miso paste - a recipe for misosir (algae soup, fish, vegetables and shellfish). Miso soup is brewed from seasonal vegetables, so it is rich in vitamins, carotene and fiber.

Miso paste is a recipe that contains wholesome proteins for the body, glutamic acid, lecithin, vitamins and microorganisms that regulate intestinal function. In each region miso is cooked in its own way. Miso paste can differ in color. Depending on the ingredients, it can be yellowish, red, or brown and even black. Yes, and consistency is also different: someone granular, and someone's homogeneous. The smell of miso paste is also different. It can be very gentle and soft, and maybe sharp, piquant. Even the taste of pasta can be salty or sweetish - it all depends on the ingredients and cooking technology.

Miso paste is not an independent dish, it only emphasizes and enhances the taste of various Japanese dishes. This is the art of cooking Japanese dishes: to reveal and emphasize the taste of each product and dish in general.

Miso soup with sea kale

To prepare this soup, we need to take four glasses of water, 3 pieces of dried Japanese anchovy called niboshi, 100 grams of tofu, 100 grams of dried sea kale, a handful of chopped green onions for decoration, miso paste white to taste.

Put the niboshi in water and bring to a boil, then take out the niboshi. Add a tablespoon of Japanese miso to the water, preferably white, as it is more suitable for this soup. Then add the sea kale and tofu, cut into small cubes. As soon as the contents of the pan begin to surface, turn off the fire, since miso does not like boiling and can lose its unique flavor. Serve the soup hot, after putting in each plate finely chopped green onions.

Miso soup with vegetables

For this soup, we need two large carrots, which must be rubbed on a grater, as well as one small onion and green onions. We cut finely two cloves of garlic. Shink one Chinese cabbage. Cheese tofu must be cut into small cubes with a diameter of about 1 cm.

In a five-liter pot, add a spoonful of vegetable oil, then add onions, carrots, garlic and a tablespoon of ginger, grated. All the vegetables are dipped for about 10 minutes.

Then we put shredded cabbage, a spoonful of rice vinegar, a fourth of a spoonful of black pepper. Then pour a half liter of water, bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes under a closed lid.

To miso paste add 60 ml of hot water and mix. We fill the resulting soup. Five minutes before the end of cooking soup, add the chopped cheese tofu. We serve the dish on the table, decorating it with greens.

Japanese dishes are characterized by an unusual taste and originality. In fact, it is not difficult to prepare them, you just have to follow certain subtleties. Pamper your favorite Japanese cuisine with miso-paste - believe me, it's very tasty!