Once Upon a Time in the faraway land of ancient Japan, families made their own miso. Soybeans and sea salts were tossed in with rice. Barley and wheat were used to make miso, too. (Rice was pretty pricey for a few centuries.) Japanese koji (fermented cooked rice and soybeans) was key to the storage of miso during snowy winters in the olden days. (Way before refrigeration and supermarkets.)
Each home had their unique take and flavor of miso. A family with blooming Japanese yuzu trees, tossed in the citrus fruit to their miso. The Imperial Palace served only hatcho miso during the Meiji Period. Why? Emperor Meiji insisted on hatcho miso from Okazaki, Japan. Ironically, Okazaki was the hometown of Ieyasu Tokugawa – the Shogun – whose family ruled Japan for 200 years. And just happened to precede the Meiji Period.
Fast forward to the New Millennium: More than just the local miso is available at the supermarket. For a soupcon taste of miso from all over Japan, visit Mankyu Misoten in Asakusa. The store has sold miso since 1804. (Tokyo’s oldest temple – Sensoji – is also found in Asakusa. And so are tons of tourists!)
Ninja Note: If you are new to miso, you might want to start with the milder white miso. It’s slightly less salty than the reddish variety. White miso is wonderful for baking. Especially Miso Salted Caramel Brownies. White miso is also a fantastic way to spike sour cream atop potatoes.
The right balance of melted butter with miso brings corn to a new level of yumminess, too. Miso Glazed Corn is a super-duper easy and delicious side dish. If you are in a pinch for time or the turkey is demanding all your attention, Miso Glazed Corn is the solution to holiday meal stresses.
Do you have a go-to holiday side dish? Love to hear!
Japanese miso may be the magic ingredient you're looking for this holiday season. If stressed for time, miso glazed corn will fulfill the wish of a quick, easy and delicious side dish. Slathered on corn-on-the cob, sprinkled atop sticky Japanese rice or spooned into a Yukon Gold, Miso Glazed Corn is fantabulous!
A bite of sweet corn and butter is followed by an umami aftertaste of slightly salty miso.
Ingredients:
3 cobs of corn
3 T of Japanese white miso
6 T of unsalted butter
Directions:
Drop corn into boiling water. Let the corn come to another boil. Turn off the flame. Cover for 5 minutes.
Melt the butter with miso.
Slather the corn with the butter miso and place on a grill for 2 minutes.
Option: Grilling is not necessary but adds another dimension of deliciousness.
Side note (tee hee!) This side dish extravaganza is hosted by Caroline Williams of Caroline's Cooking.
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement?It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.
