Recipes
Lunch with Miso Master
I used to live in Japan. I admire their stringent food import restrictions, protection of rice farmers, and pristine produce. Where you can taste one strawberry, close your eyes and think perhaps you have by mistake, stuffed 100 of them in your mouth- the flavor is that intense. Produce is grown according to season and tastes as it should. The smallest amount of food is intensely satisfying. You taste more and eat less.
Aside from fresh produce- Japan’s diverse cuisine does amazing things with various food processes. Fermentation is by far my most favorite method of intensifying health benefits- along with engaging a sublime taste sensation.
Umami is hard to describe. It is that special taste that often comes from fermented foods.
When I returned to North Carolina, I was elated to know that four different, now five and possibly more- varieties of miso are made locally in Asheville, North Carolina.
Sweet White Miso Ramen
For a quick lunch, I took:
Half a block of Top Ramen- yeah, I said it. Ramen. The 10 for $2 special is the closest and cheapest stuff I can find around. I ditch the flavor package to control sodium. Your whole world opens up if you just use the noodles. Honest.
Chopped veggies: Broccoli, halved radishes, kale
One heaping tablespoon of Sweet White Miso
There is a small kitchenette at work and I have a lovely big bowl. Ramen has to be made and consumed immediately. Soggy noodles are not yummy to eat.
Hot water + miso = super easy broth.
[Really, Japanese people start with a dashi [from dried fish, bonito flakes and or shitake mushrooms, there are also easy instant packets- but again, sodium is at a ridiculous high in pre-made stocks] ]
*** A big no-no. Don’t add precious miso to boiling water. You may get the taste- but all the health benefits will be cooked away. Just let your water boil- then in a small separate container, add your miso and a little bit of water and loosen the paste. Make it smooth then add it back to your hot/warm liquid [that has been taken off the heat]. A simple and very Japanese thing to do is use a fine sieve– for my portions a coffee strainer works fine… but family size– go bigger. Dunk your sieve into the water and using a fork or chopsticks work the paste and let it dissolve. This is a nice way to avoid getting lumps in your soup.
Ramen Love:
Visit the Shin-Yokahama Ramen Museum
Wow, in my publication design class in 1999, I did a magazine layout on Ramen. They have the same pictures. I will have to dig up that old relic.. though, I think it is on a zip disk.
Discussion
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I’m not sure when you lived in Japan but apparently a lot has changed since you were here. Most produce comes from China. And most of it is laden with pesticides and irradiated so that it looks pretty and lasts forever on the shelves. I remember one time leaving an apple in the fridge, forgetting about it when I went on a business trip, and finding it 6 months later still edible O_o