I'm going to make a hacho miso and noodle soup for dinner tonight...

[mike_c]

...and I'm not going to post the recipe, so there.

Well, I might, but right now I'm too hungry. Must. Eat.

[mike_c]

1. here's the recipe-- it's a fusion 'fridge raid sort of thing...

...but awesomely good. Soup for one, generously, as I probably won't finish it all.

2 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water, sliced
white part of two scallions, sliced (slice some of the green part and reserve to garnish)
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced thin
a small bit of fresh ginger, sliced into paper thin juliene
1 Thai bird's eye chili or other small hot chili, sliced paper thin
2 cups chicken stock (add additional if needed)
1/4 cup white wine
t tsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 tsp 5 year old hacho miso paste
some cilantro is nice if you have it (I didn't)

Combine the ingredients above in a sauce pan, simmer for 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally to make sure the miso dissolves, then add:

2 boneless chicken thighs, sliced thin

Cook chicken in simmering stock for 10 minute or so, then add:

2 pieces of dried wakame seaweed, soaked for a few minutes, midrib discarded, cut bit sized

Cook for another few minutes. Cook fresh wide-cut chinese noodles in the meantime and put them into a BIG bowl. When the soup is ready, add:

1 cup shredded napa cabbage

to the bowl of noodles. Pour the hot soup over the noodles and cabbage. Add the reserved green onion and one tbsp of lime juice.

[mike_c]

2. recipe corrections....

Well, I think hacho miso is three years old, not five (or at least mine is). And I forgot that I added a tsp or two of Hon Dashi-- instant bonito stock-- to the simmering liquid in the first step.

Any noodles will work-- I used some generic wide cut chinese noodles because I had them in the 'fridge, but udon or soba would both be good-- hell, spaghetti would work in a pinch, I suppose. Maybe not.

It was REALLY good.

[politicat]

3. Sounds like it was good!

Do you find that if you simmer the miso, it gets an ... off flavor? I have learned not to put my miso into the broth until the bery last minute, and never to let it come back up to a boil because it changes the flavor.

Don't forget the dashi. That's critical to the process.

Yeah, spaghetti works in a pinch.

Here's what we had:

Cumin noodles with cilantro, spring onions and chicken

Toast the cumin seeds. Gring in the coffee grinder. Measure out a tablespoon of ground cumin.
Boil the noodles.

In a wok, stirfry chicken breast or thigh slices in garlic and sesame oil. Add any vegetables (we used snap pea pods and broccoli because I had 'em in the fridge.)

Add noodles, sprinkle with tamari. Stirfry briefly. Add the onions and cumin. Toss to coat.

Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of crushed, hot pepper if you're crazy and with a dash of black sesame seeds and sea salt if you're not. :9

[mike_c]

4. I've grown too lazy to do the miso correctly....

I use the kecap manis to mask that "off flavor" you mentioned if I let the soup simmer too hard, but I try to keep the soup on as low a simmer as possible, just barely disturbing the surface-- it's hard to describe the difference in taste, but yeah, it exists if you let it get too hot. Hacho miso is so hard to do properly, i.e. dissolved in some hot stock taken from the simmering pot and added back to the pot at the end-- it's like tar-- I do it that way for company, and just cook it for myself, as long as I'm careful not to cook it too much.

Regarding dashi-- you know, I like the instant kind better than the kind made from real flaked dried fish!

[politicat]

5. I like instant dashi better, too.

My cats ADORE dried skipjack, but anymore I either only buy it for them (think catnip mixed with crack in a tasty treat) or only buy it for them because they sneak open the cupboard, drag out the bag, attack it until it opens (life at high altitude means most bags swell, and the cats can open the bag by POUNCING a few times), scatter the flakes and eat like a teenage boy at Sizzler.

With that kind of encouragement, instant dashi tastes a LOT better.

[murphymom]

6. Excuse my ignorance

but what is hacho miso? In my local market I see the little plastic containers of miso in the refrigerated section: about 3 or 4 types, red miso, white miso, and I think a couple of mixed grain types. The brand name is Westbrae. Is hacho miso something more aged or concentrated? I get that impression from the other responses to your post.

I like Asian food a lot, but don't really know my ingredients very well. We have a small Asian market here in town, but so many things aren't labeled that well in English.

(By the way, thanks again for the Thai recipes in an earlier thread. I used the Mae Ploy curry paste and it makes it all so easy. I can't wait to try your recipe for chicken in green curry, but I have to wait until an evening when I have time to make a second main dish for my husband, as he doesn't like coconut milk.)

[Warpy]

7. Hatcho is the type made with soybeans alone

It's the darkest of the misos and the strongest flavored. There are also misos made with rice and with wheat. Generally speaking, the lighter the color the more grain is in it and the lighter in flavor it will be. White miso has a sweet undertone.

I generally find hatcho a bit strong for my taste, and prefer mugi (rice) miso for most soups and the white miso for sauces and dressings, although I swap them back and forth.

Miso requires a light touch, but a cup of veggie broth flavored with miso and garnished with chopped scallion is pure heaven on a cold day.

Hmm, supposed to be chilly tomorrow, maybe I'll do that instead of fried tofu.