From sweet, creamy, and light to hearty, robust, and dark, Mitoku has an exciting variety of misos available to add to your cooking and dining enjoyment. As you will see, miso can be used to enhance everything from basic macrobiotic dishes to gourmet fare.

The key to fine miso cookery is not to overpower dishes with a strong miso taste, but to integrate the more subtle aspects of miso color and flavor in a gentle balance with other ingredients. For example, when making miso soup, the use of a kombu, shiitake, kombu-bonito, or vegetable stock helps achieve a full, rich flavor with considerably less miso than you would need if you boil vegetables in plain water and rely on miso to supply all the flavor. The latter method usually results in either an overly salty soup or one that is watery, bland and unappetizing. With respect to color, bright summer vegetables such as sweet corn or yellow squash and lightly cooked greens floating in the beautiful yellow to beige colored broth of light, sweet miso soup is appealing in warm weather, whereas the earthy tones and hearty flavor of dark miso soup with chunky root vegetables and wakame or kale is pleasing during the colder months.

Certain general rules can be applied when cooking with light, sweet misos, such as opposed to dark, salty ones. The light color, sweet taste, and creamy texture of sweet miso is suggestive of its application in American-style cooking: it is an excellent dairy substitute. For example, try a little sweet miso instead of milk, butter, and salt in creamed soups, and with tofu and lemon or rice vinegar in place of sour cream for dips and spreads.

To realize the full potential of sweet miso, explore its uses in salad dressings and sauces. Sweet miso and naturally brewed rice vinegar create a delicious tartness that is both refreshing and cooling. Known as su miso, this combination has a long history in Japanese cuisine. Blended with your choice of other ingredients such as oil, onion, dill or other herbs, rice syrup, tofu and tahini, sweet miso and rice vinegar complement each other perfectly in American style dressings, dips and sauces.

In contrast, dark, saltier misos combine nicely with beans, gravies, baked dishes, and vegetable stews and soups. For a simple and delicious fall or winter vegetable dish, try adding sweet chunky vegetables such as winter squash, carrots, or parsnips to sautéed onions, steaming them in 1/4 inch of water until just tender, then seasoning with dark, long-aged rice or barley miso thinned in a little water or stock just before the end of cooking. Try dark miso in thick soups using root vegetables such as burdock, carrots, and daikon. A lentil casserole seasoned with dark miso warms the body and supplies plenty of high quality protein. Although dark misos are not as versatile as light varieties, traditionally made, unpasteurized dark miso makes nutritious, flavorful and satisfying miso soups that you can enjoy every day in fall, winter and spring without ever becoming tired of them. Once the weather becomes warm, we prefer to combine a dark and a light miso when making miso soup.

Mixed with sweet, tangy, or pungent ingredients such as mirin, rice syrup, rice vinegar or fresh ginger, dark miso can be used in refreshing sauces. Remember that dark miso is stronger in taste than sweet miso, so use it sparingly.

Both dark and light misos are suitable for certain special uses. In general, miso is a good choice when you are looking for a salting agent, digestive aid, or tenderizer.

As a salting agent, miso supplies much more in terms of flavor and nutrition than plain salt without salt's harshness. When substituting miso for salt, add approximately one level tablespoon of any sweet, light miso or two level teaspoons of dark, salty miso for one-quarter teaspoon salt.

The powerful enzymatic action of unpasteurized miso is a natural digestive aid and tenderizing agent. In the digestive system rniso enzymes aid the body's own resources in breaking down complex food molecules. Foods such as beans, tomato products, and raw tofu may cause digestive discomfort. Miso helps balance and digest these foods.

For the same reason that miso aids digestion, it is also a great natural tenderizer. When used in marinades its enzymes break down the complex molecules of vegetable fiber and animal protein into more readily digestible forms. At the same time its flavor penetrates the marinating foods. 

For many people making the transition to natural foods, there is a problem of interesting other family members. For families with a commitment to healthful eating, cooking for guests who are not accustomed to this way of eating can be a challenge. Miso helps bridge this gap. It brings a depth of savory flavor and a satisfying complexity to simple fare.

Kyoto Miso Soup Serves 4 Other vegetables may be added or substituted, but simplicity and a flavorful stock are the keys to this authentic miso soup. 6-inch piece Mitoku Hidaka Kombu 4 cups cold spring water 1/4 cup Mitoku Bonito flakes (small flakes) 1/4 pound tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 green onion, thinly sliced 1/4 cup Mitoku Marukura Sweet White Miso Place kombu and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, uncovered, over medium heat. After simmering briefly, remove kombu and reserve it for another use. (It may be reused to make soup stock or cooked with beans or vegetables.) Stir bonito flakes into stock, then remove pan from heat and let sit for 2 minutes. Strain the broth, pressing liquid from the flakes with the back of a spoon. Return broth to pan and reheat, adding tofu and green onion, and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat. Soften the miso in a little broth, add to soup, and allow to rest briefly before serving.

Creamy Carrot Curry Soup Serves 4 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 1/2 medium onions, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 medium to large carrots, sliced 1/4 teaspoon Ishigaki Washed Sea salt 2 1/2 cups spring water 1 14-ounce can coconut milk 2 teaspoons Madras curry, or to taste 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, or to taste 2 tablespoons Mitoku Marukura Sweet White Miso 2 tablespoons peeled and shredded raw carrot Heat the oil in a pot, and sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the carrots and salt and sauté two minutes more. Add the water and coconut milk, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add curry and pepper and simmer for 2 minutes more. Half fill a blender with some of the soup, add the miso, and blend well. (Caution! Blending hot soup can be dangerous. Do not fill the blender more than half-full.) Pour the pureed soup into a large bowl, and continue blending portions until all of it has been pureed. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the grated carrots, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Dairy Free "Macaroni and Cheese Serves 4 This dairy-free version is nonetheless rich and satisfying. Vegetables can be added for a type of Pasta Primevara, but be careful not to overcook them. They should be tender-crisp. Sauce: 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 small onion, diced 3 tablespoons unbleached white flour 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock pinch Ishigaki Washed Sea Salt pinch white or black pepper (optional) 2 tablespoons Mitoku Marukura Sweet White Miso 2 tablespoons tahini 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil 1/4 cup parsley, minced 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice 12 ounces macaroni (such as rotelli, ziti, penne, or shells) Add the oil to a medium-sized frying pan, and sauté the garlic and onion over low heat for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown the garlic. Add the flour and stir constantly for 1 minute. Slowly add the stock, whisking until the sauce thickens somewhat. Add a pinch of salt and, if desired, pepper, and simmer 5 minutes. Add a little more stock as needed, if sauce is too thick. In a small bowl combine the miso and tahini, and gradually mix in 1/4 cup stock or water. Add the mixture to the sauce and simmer very gently for 1 to 2 minutes. For the last minute add the basil, about 3 tablespoons of the parsley (reserve the rest to garnish), and the vinegar or lemon juice. Add the noodles to 3 quarts of rapidly boiling, salted water. As soon as the macaroni is cooked, drain it and immediately toss it with the sauce in a large bowl. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley.

Serves 4

Mild-flavored, tender white fish is enhanced by this simple but zesty, golden vinaigrette. The result is both delicious and eye-appealing. Substitute other mild white fish, such as sole or flounder, if you wish.

Citrus Vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon Eden Stoneground Prepared Mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Mitoku Marukura Sweet White Miso
pinch white or black pepper (optional)

3-4 green beans, cut on the diagonal in thin strips
1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 1/3 pounds orange roughy
pinch sea salt
pinch white or black pepper (optional)
1 scallion, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk or beat vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl until oil is emulsified.

In a 1-quart saucepan, bring 1 to 2 cups water to a boil, and add a pinch of salt and the green beans. When the water returns to a boil, add the carrots and simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Immediately pour the vegetables into a colander, then transfer them to a bowl of cold water to prevent further cooking and set the color. Drain and set aside.

Rinse fillets, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, and season lightly with salt and, if desired, white pepper. Arrange fish in an oiled baking dish. Cover tightly with a lid or a piece of aluminum foil. Bake 10 minutes, or until fish just flakes and the inside is no longer translucent. Transfer cooked fish to individual serving plates or a platter. Spoon half of the vinaigrette over the fish. Sprinkle with green beans, carrots, and scallion, then spoon the rest of the vinaigrette over the fish and vegetables, and serve.

Pecan-Miso Dip Makes 1 1/2 cups Rich and savory, this dip is delicious with lightly steamed or raw vegetables. To make a quick and flavorful sauce for udon or soba, simply add more stock to achieve the desired consistency. 1 cup pecans or walnuts 1/4 cup Mitoku Marukura Sweet White Miso 1/2 cup vegetable stock 1-2 teaspoons Mitoku Mikawa Mirin Roast nuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until crisp and fragrant. Grind nuts into a fairly fine meal in a blender. Blend in the remaining ingredients.