Umami Dearest
By MARK BITTMAN
It may seem completely counterintuitive, but there is a strong connection between miso and Parmesan cheese. They are salty, complex products made from the most basic and elemental ingredients: milk, salt and bacteria in the case of Parmesan; soy, sometimes wheat or other grains, salt and bacteria in miso. Each makes use of surplus product and preserves the bounty almost indefinitely; each takes time to prepare correctly, and neither process is simple. The effort that goes into them creates intense, complex and uncommonly fine flavors of the umami family.
About 20 years ago, I visited factories for each, and I Eurocentrically thought I was clever in bringing miso up to the level of Parmesan. Now I recognize that — although it’s not a contest — in a desert-island situation, miso would be my choice.
Limiting miso to soup is like limiting Parmesan to pasta. You can dry it and turn it into a condiment (which happens to be reminiscent of Parmesan); you can use it to create a fantastic compound butter (David Chang of Momofuku showed me this five years ago); you can stir it into mayonnaise, which is consciousness-expanding. And then there’s miso butterscotch, which sounds like dessert — and indeed can be — but is better imagined as a step beyond the caramel sauce you may know from Vietnamese cooking. Talk about umami! All of these can be steered in a variety of directions by combining them with other seasonings.
You will want to know “which miso for which recipe?” I’ve noted preferences here, but it’s better to play around than to get hung up on perfect pairings. White misos are milder than red; good miso is generally more expensive than industrially made stuff (the prices and label information usually make that clear); and refrigerated, miso keeps just about forever, so you can experiment with it at your leisure.
Miso Spice
Time: About 7 hours, almost completely unattended.
1/2 cup miso.
1. Heat the oven to 175. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Smear the miso in an even layer, as thinly as possible, over the parchment. It’s O.K. if it’s ragged around the edges or even a little thick in places.
2. Bake, undisturbed, until large pieces of miso peel easily from the paper, about 3 hours. Turn the pieces and bake on the other side, until the miso crumbles easily, another 3 to 4 hours.
3. Let the miso cool, then crumble it with your fingers or grind finely in a spice mill or designated coffee grinder.(It keeps in the fridge in a sealed jar for months.)
Yield: About 1/4 cup.
Possible additions: Cayenne or other ground chilies; ground kombu or crumbled nori; sesame seeds.
Possible uses: Season a whole fish, croutons or bread crumbs; sprinkle the top of bread before baking; warm it in sesame or peanut oil for a bagna-cauda-style dip.
Miso Butter
Time: 10 minutes (plus more for chilling, if you like).
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons miso
Freshly ground pepper (optional).
1. Cream the butter and miso together with a fork, adding black pepper if you like.
2. Use immediately, or roll into a log in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for cutting into slices later.
Makes: 4 to 8 servings.
Possible additions: Chopped scallions or chives; minced garlic, ginger or chili; lemon, lime or orange juice or citrus zest.
Possible uses: Melted onto fish, chicken or steak (lots of umami); on asparagus, broccoli or carrots; drizzled on a baked sweet potato (or a regular baked potato).
Miso Mayonnaise
Time: 5 minutes.
2 tablespoons miso
1 cup mayonnaise.
1. Stir the miso into the mayonnaise (homemade is best) until smooth.
2. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to a week.Yield: 1 cup.
Possible additions: Grated ginger, honey, brown sugar or agave syrup; chopped pickles (or pickled vegetables); chopped chives or shiso leaves.
Possible uses: Dip for sweet-potato fries; smeared on croutons to serve with fish soups (like rouille or bouillabaisse); to make a gratinée of simple cooked vegetables with bread crumbs; as an aioli.
Miso Butterscotch
Time: 10 minutes.
3/4 cup cream
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup miso (red miso is a bit salty for truly sweet applications)
3/4 cup brown sugar.
1. Combine the cream and butter in a small saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts.
2. Stir in the miso and sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is slightly thickened and shiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and add a little more sugar if you think it’s too salty (remember, you’ll be using it in savory dishes).
3. Use right away or refrigerate, well covered, for up to 1 week and rewarm before using to loosen it up.
Yield: About 2 cups.
Possible additions: Chopped nuts; some sesame oil instead of butter; some honey instead of brown sugar.
Possible uses: On poached pears or apples; marinade for meat; braising base for sturdy vegetables like cabbage, eggplant, turnips or new potatoes; sundae sauce — especially over fruit ice creams or sorbets.
Comments: Favorite salad dressing recipe: Sesame oil, miso, mirin (or honey), lime juice. So yummy.
Comments: Favorite salad dressing recipe: Sesame oil, miso, mirin (or honey), lime juice. So yummy.
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