Sweet White Miso

I'm completely obsessed with Miso. Not the typical miso soup you find in Japanese restaurants that they serve you with your meal. Sure, that's really good, but I prefer the homemade stuff without all of the fix-ins. I make it religiously every single day/night and enjoy it like I would a cup of tea. As a matter of fact I'm drinking it right now.

Sometimes it can be really difficult to find the organic, non-GMO miso with no MSG, and if you do, it can be pretty expensive--$5-9 for an 8 oz container. I'm super lucky to have Berkeley Bowl where there's a brand I absolutely adore called Kanemasa miso, which is a little more that $5 for 32 oz! It's a delicious, sweet, and subtle miso that's not as strong and overpowering as the darker versions. It's not too salty either compared to other Shiro (white) misos.

When I feel like I have some time on my hands, however, I do enjoy making my own miso. It's extremely gratifying and honestly tastes so much better. It's sweeter, more complex and has a more pleasant saltiness. It is a little more time-consuming, but every step is extremely easy.

The mashed up soybeans

Ingredients: 

• Koji*
• Approximately 1 1/2 cups dried organic soybeans 
• Water
• Salt

Directions:

Using a mason jar filled with barley to weigh
down my kimchi radishes to weigh
down my miso...

• Start by soaking the soybeans in a giant bowl of water overnight. They absorb a lot of water and take awhile to fully soften before cooking. 
• The next day, boil water in a medium sized stockpot with some salt. Add the soybeans, reduce to simmer, then put the top on. Leave it alone for about an hour, or until the soybeans have completely softened. 
• Drain the soybeans while making sure to reserve the cooking liquid. Place soybeans into bowl and coarsely mash along with 1-2 tablespoons of salt (you want the mixture to be noticeably over-salted). This can either be done with a fork or in a food processor, whatever you prefer since this will determine the consistency of your finished product. 
• Add about a cup of the cooking liquid as well as the full package of Koji and incorporate well. 
• Either top with cheesecloth and/or a plate that fits the inside of the bowl and weigh down with cans or other clean, heavy items. 
• The next step is the hardest: patience. Depending on what time of year you decide to make the miso, it takes between a week to a month for Shiro miso. In the warmer months the fermentation process speeds up (bacteria loves summer too!) resulting in a miso that requires less waiting. When I made my miso in the winter it took about a month for it to reach a desired fermentation. Regardless of the season, make sure to keep it in a warm, undisturbed part in the kitchen. Every day check on it by stirring the contents and maybe even tasting it to experience all of the different stages of the fermentation permeating the rice and soybeans. 
• Whenever the taste appeals to you most, its time to enjoy! What I like to do is put the mixture through the blender to create a smooth consistency then store in the refrigerator.

To make miso soup:

• Boil water. Take a tablespoon of the paste and add a couple tablespoons of water to dissolve the paste. Fill the rest of an 8 oz cup and enjoy!

*Koji is rice that has been treated with a special mold (koji-kin) that causes the rice and soybeans to begin fermenting. It may be a bit difficult to find. This is the brand I use that I get from Berkeley bowl, but I know you can also find it online. I always trust the brand Cold Mountain, but if you're super crafty you can even buy the spores and cure the rice yourself to make homemade Koji!