Mar 07,2024
In this ongoing series, we ask food professionals for their top recommended fermented foods. Our guest this time is Kaneko Fumie, a cooking specialist. She has an unusual background for a cooking specialist, as she used to be a fashion designer. Her easy-to-make recipes are well regarded for being sumptuous visually and taste-wise and for lifting your mood. She makes her own temae [prized] miso every year without fail. We asked her to show us how to make a magnificent stew using her prized homemade miso.
Kaneko’s miso batches made, starting from the left, in 2023, 2022, and 2021. The longer the maturation, the darker the color and the richer the fermentation’s umami flavor.
Kaneko started making her own miso around 2012. What got her into it was attending a miso-making workshop led by cooking expert acquaintance.
“I was surprised by how delicious that miso turned out. I’ve been making it ever since every single year. Because it’s handmade, the taste varies slightly from year to year even though you make it the same way with the same ingredients. For example, this year it’s a little softer than usual, while the hishio [a paste similar to miso made from koji rice malt and salt water] has come up well. Because it’s a wholly natural product, it doesn’t always turn out exactly as you expect. I think the beauty of making your own miso is that you can enjoy each year’s flavor.”
Kaneko’s miso is a deluxe miso because it uses soybeans and rice koji in a ratio of 1:2. This deluxe miso is distinctive for its mild saltiness and sweet finish.
“The soybeans are organic and come from Yokota Farms in Ogawa, Saitama, and from Orikasa Farms in Hokkaido. I purchase my koji from Kawaguchi Koji in Kanagawa and from Gomi Shoyu in Yamanashi. The salt I use is Sel de Guérande. Being picky about the ingredients you choose is another fun part of making miso at home.”
Kaneko loves to use these enamel containers to age her miso. “For miso to age well, it’s best to keep it in a well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight. I keep mine under a shelf in the living room.”
Some say miso is best prepared during a cold snap in the coldest part of the year. Kaneko, however, isn’t so particular about the time of year she prepares her miso.
“When I make my miso batch varies from year to year. I generally prepare it around February or March, but last year I made it in May. The koji shop I use claims it’s okay to prepare miso anytime. Having said that, I don’t think it’s a good idea to make miso in the peak summer months because the fermentation will progress far too rapidly. And boiling the soybeans is hot work. (laughs) You can make delicious miso in spring or fall, without waiting for a particular cold snap. Making miso is easier than what most people think. So I encourage people who haven’t tried it before to definitely give it a go.”
Of the cooking classes Kaneko leads, the miso-making sessions are some of the most popular. When their miso batches are ready, the students bring in their miso to taste and compare. The flavors are different from household to household.
“It’s a mystery really, because the miso batches are all prepared in the same way in the same location on the same day. No doubt the fermentation progresses differently depending on each home’s temperature, humidity, air flow, and other factors. What’s funny is nearly everyone will claim that their miso tastes the best. (laughs) It’s no wonder, because every mother feels the kids she brings up are the cutest. The class gets really lively when people boast about their homemade temae miso.”
But what is Kaneko most proud about when it comes to her temae miso?
“My miso is a little sweet and mellow. Just spreading it on a cut of fish and letting it marinate tastes amazing with just the right amount of saltiness. The umami of the miso is enough, with no need for mirin rice wine or sugar. I make this a lot.”
The complex umami of miso works wonders with Western-style dishes too. Give this rich stew a try that uses daikon, green onions, and other Japanese vegetables and that goes well with both rice and bread.
5.Turn off the heat when the beef is tender and stir in the mixture from Step 4. Simmer again over a low heat until the sauce has thickened. Taste and add salt if necessary, and then serve in bowls and sprinkle with black pepper. Serve with kale, boiled broccoli, or baguette as you prefer.
The miso and flour mixture is not a beurre manié, but a “miso” manié. “If you use only miso and flour, it will form lumps when added to liquid. So the trick is to thin the mixture with a little vegetable juice.”
“The total prep time is under 10 minutes. Although it simmers for a long time, you don’t need to watch over the pot the whole time. Simmering it slowly over a low heat eliminates the acidity of the vegetable juice and brings out a mellow umami flavor.”
This gorgeous stew showcases the beef that melts in your mouth, the daikon that remains fresh and juicy despite being stewed, and the tender green onions immersed in a tomato sauce that has absorbed the delicious flavors of all the ingredients. It’s a feast for the eyes and the palate. It’s also a way to treat yourself to some me time, such as leisurely reading a book, while waiting for the stew to finish cooking.
A key point is not to overcook the stew once you’ve added the miso
The glutamic acid and other umami components in miso increase during the fermentation process. This makes miso a highly versatile seasoning that can be used to flavor all kinds of dishes, not just Japanese dishes.
“Miso goes particularly well with tomatoes, which also contain a lot of glutamic acid, and with rich dairy products. Combinations of miso and cheese, being both fermented foods, are wonderful. You can give a fresh, slightly Western essence to grilled fish marinated in miso by, for example, cooking it in a mixture of onions and cream.”
Knowing what combinations work expands the range of your recipe repertoire.
“The recipe I shared is a tomato-based stew, but a cream-based stew using miso is equally delicious. You can swap the listed vegetables for potatoes, turnips, or carrots and use chicken meat instead of beef. Simmer the vegetables and meat gently in white wine and water, and finish it off with cream, milk, and miso.”
Another delightful thing about Kaneko’s miso manié is that it easily gives a nice thickness to the sauce along with its flavoring. Miso, with its power of fermentation, also enhances the taste of Western-style dishes. If you make your own miso with lots of love, you can add homemade miso benefits to everyday meals that you can be proud of.
Making and using homemade miso and miso dishes is fun. Why not try making some yourself this year?
In our next installment, the baton will be passed on from Kaneko to Nakamoto Chizuru, an expert in healthy cooking. Be sure to watch out for Nakamoto’s choice fermented food that she always has on her dinner table.
Cooking specialist
Cooking specialist
A former fashion designer, Kaneko changed course and went into cooking. She is active on a variety of fronts, including recipe creation, catering, cooking classes, and menu development. She provides popular suggestions for dishes that pair well with alcohol and for easy-to-prepare single-person meals. She is the author of several books, including New Style Recipes and Recipes For People Concerned About Their Older Parents’ Meals.
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