miso questions

[josie_c]

hi there. i'm new to macrobiotics (i started in august) and i realize there's a few months of kind of transition from the old way of eating. As I've gotten more familiar (and enjoying) the taste of miso, I'm wondering if anyone knew if there was a general recommendation for how much of the days food should be miso-based. I usually have 1-2 cups of miso soup before meals, and now I'm experimenting with it in dressings and spreads and didn't know how much was helpful to incorporate into my meals.

thanks for any insight on the benefits/potential problems with miso.

josie c.

One or two servings a day is about average, good i'd say, actually. I almost always have some at dinner time, and often at breakfast, though it's tough in an office at work when you refuse to use the company microwave!!!

Too keep from getting too yang, too salted as a beginner (something i did, a common beginner experience) use about 1 tsp miso to each 8oz of water. And you're right, miso is great in spreads and sauces, but remember to watch your other salts in that same meal, if you're using miso, you probably won't need another source.

Also remember that miso is best when you first boil the water, turn off the pot and add your miso, and then simmer for a few minutes before eating, this gets the most out of the culture koji, but don't boil it!!!! best!

Hi - I just purchased Sweet White Miso but I have no idea what it is or what I would use it for??? (impulse purchase I suppose!)

Any help or advice on when to use it? Recipes?

Cheers!

hmm, there are differing opinions....how much miso soup depends on one's condition. In order not to encourage an overly yang condition, I think miso soup 4-5x per week is sufficient with another kind of soup on the other days for most people. Also, I think that soup once a day is fine. I also cook the miso,not boil, for 3 minutes after adding. I think it adds to the digestibility.

White miso, I reserve for dressings and on rare occasion in the very hot weather for soup.

[Klara]

I absolutely love white miso (yellow mellow). It's so delicate.

I add it to millet mashed "potatoes" (millet/cauliflower) when it needs an umph, and also to onion soup to give more flavor without overpowering it. It has a sweet flavor which works well in more gentle dishes. If I'm in the mood, I might go for the stronger barley miso, but then the dish will also be more brown, so it depends on what effect I want to create.

Klara

[mamatosage]

Hi,

I am just wondering---what kind of miso do they use in Japanese restaurants? I can never get my miso soup to taste as good as theirs.

[Cool Dude]

Hi!

Japanese restaurarants use a pastuerized, light colored miso that is usually not organic, is made with refined salt and sugar.

They might also be using the dehydrated miso that comes in little foil packets.

The soup base usually contains (strained) bonita (fish) flakes and a very yin type of kombu and or wakame.

Yes, the soup is usually delicious as are many other foods that have very little nourishment or healing value.

If you are eating a regular macrobiotic diet consisting of mainly whole grains (including some organic short grain brown rice, every day) and temperate climate vegetables, etc. then you probably want to consume a miso soup between several times a week to once every day, that is unpastuerized, made of organically grown soybeans, solar dried sea salt, and contains no added sweetner.

If you are seeking a slightly yang energy, especially during the cold months of the year, then you might consider a darker, more mature miso made with barley that is 2 to 3 years old.

You could ocassionally use other misos and mix in lighter misos especially during warmer months and also for festive occassions.

Unless you are healing from from either extreme yin sickness from or are being constantly exposed to radiation (like in chemotherapy and radiation), you have radically deep or exposed cuts or wounds, or are a substance user/abuser , I suggest you generally avoid using much hatcho (3 to 5 year old, soybean) miso.

Mitoku misos http://www.simply-natural.biz/natural_foods_miso.php like Onozaki Family (Barley and Brown Rice types), Yuuki (the Japanese organic standard) -grown Sakurazawa, and Taleshima plus the Marukura Barley are all excellent.

Warren Kramer http://www.macrobioticsnewengland.com/ raves about the Hagomoro Barley Miso in his cooking classes (says Bruce)!

Going from Yang to Yin you have hatcho or mame' (very dark brown, soybean, 3 to 5 years), mugi (dark brown, soybean and barley, 2 to 3 years), genmai (brown, soybean and brown rice, up to 2 years), kome (red brown, soybean and white rice, up to 18 months), and mellow white and sweet white misos (blonde, 8 weeks to 6 months).

Check out The Miso Book: The Art of Cooking with Miso http://www.simply-natural.biz/bookmiso.php by Jan and John Belleme (authors of other books on traditional Japanese natural foods and responsible for introducing Onozaki miso to the West).

Please enjoy!

Be Well.

Cool Dude