Slippery Nameko Mushroom Miso Soup

One of my favorite miso soups is nameko, tofu and wakame. Nameko mushrooms are famous for their slippery, slimy texture and earthy taste.

Octopus Salad

This simple dish of octopus, wakame and cucumbers marinated in a miso and vinegar dressing.

Nagoya Local Bites

On our way to Gero Onsen we transferred at Nagoya. We stopped to try some of the local dishes including "miso katsu" which is tonkatsu with a sweet miso dressing. The other dish, "hitsumabushi" is unagi that is eaten ochazuke style.

It is recommended when eating hitsumabushi that you eat it in three steps:

1. As it is presented, unagi on rice.

2. The unagi on rice with toppings of julienned leeks and wasabi.

3. Ochazuke style of unagi on rice with the leeks and wasabi then topped with hot tea.

Miso Dengaku - Addictive Miso Dressing

I try to keep some miso dengaku on hand at home in the fridge. Today we had it over simmered daikon. It makes for a great dip for crudite, or spread over grilled tofu.

You can also mix in different flavors like a tart vinegar, toasted sesame seeds, or sauteed nira chives.

Mix in a small saute pan until thick:

2 Tablespoons miso (explore with different types to see what you like)

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons mirin

Taste and adjust with salt if needed.

from here, you can play around and add toasted sesame seeds, some vinegar, etc. It keeps in the fridge for a few weeks, but usually disappears before that.

Grilled Salmon Breakfast

A hearty Japanese breakfast of grilled, salted salmon filet, scallop Tsukudani, apples, cucumbers in a Korean-style dressing, chawan mushi (savory egg custard), Korean nori, salad with tofu, wakame and a creamy sesame dressing, miso soup and rice. Starting our day like this we get a well-balanced, nutritional and low-fat meal. And, delicious to boot!

Yukari's Classes at the Institute of Culinary Education

Get in the kitchen with me at ICE in NYC on June 9th and 10th. I am thrilled at the opportunity to teach in NYC. One class is on incorporating more vegetables into your repertoire and the second is on becoming fluent with miso.


Vegetables in the Japanese Kitchen

Click Here or on the course title above to view available dates and times for this class.
While many associate Japanese food with sushi and wagyu beef, vegetables take center stage in the Japanese kitchen. Learn about the Japanese pantry, filled with kanbutsu dried goods, dips and dressings, under the guidance of Tokyo resident and author Yukari Pratt. You will make Vinegar-Based Pickles; Miso Soup (with a variety of options for ingredients); Takikomigohan (rice cooked with vegetables); Daikon Salad with Umeboshi (pickled plum) Dressing or other Composed Japanese Salad; Gyoza Dumplings; Kiriboshi Daikon (dried daikon) with Tofu and Carrots; Aburaage and Cheese (deep-fried tofu with cheese); and more.



Beyond Miso Soup

Click Here or on the course title above to view available dates and times for this class.
What do you do with a tub of miso besides making miso soup? Sweet, salty, dark, light, smooth, or chunky---miso's diversity lends itself to many dishes. Led by Yukari Pratt, who teaches cooking classes and writes about food out of Tokyo for publications like Food & Wine, Metropolis, and Japan Times, you will master a few dishes that make the most of miso, and learn the secrets behind Nobu's signature miso cod. These recipes will have you licking your spoons clean. On your menu: Sumiso (vinegar and miso dressing) with Vegetables; Gomamisoae (sesame and miso dressing) with Vegetables; Nerimiso (miso dips) with Vegetables; Tonjiru (a hearty miso soup of pork, carrots, potatoes, konnyaku, and leeks garnished with shichimi spice); Saikyo miso fish (fish marinated in a sweet miso marinade and grilled); and more.

Tonjiru - Hearty Pork and Vegetables Miso Soup 豚汁

One of our favorite miso soups is tonjiru. My only warning is that this recipe is very addictive. Once you make it you'll find yourself craving it often. A big bowl of tonjiru with rice can be a simple lunch. The pork is the biggest surprise on the palate. A great partner for miso. Gobo (burdock root) brings an earthiness to the dish while I love the texture of konnyaku. Carrots and onions add sweetness and potatoes round out the dish. I can't eat it without sprinkling it with some shichimi togarashi (seven spice).

Consider yourself lucky if you can find thin slices of fatty pork (belly) that can be used for shabu-shabu. This is the ideal cut for this dish. However, I imagine most readers will not have this in their market. In that case be creative. I usually end up getting a piece of pork, cutting it into small chunks and letting it simmer on the stove in water until tender. Once the meat is soft then I add the rest of the ingredients to the pot.

As for konnyaku, I prefer the threads. Alternatively, if you can find a block, cut that into julienne pieces. Before adding the konnyaku to the miso soup pot either blanch it in lightly salted water or saute it in a pan for a few minutes. This will rid it of its funky smell.

If you can't find konnyaku or gobo don't worry, it's still worth making.

If you are comfortable making miso soup, then this will be a breeze. The ingredients are listed below. As for amounts, do as you would when assembling a bowl of soup, add as you go along.

When we make it I like to make a big batch and to enjoy for a few days.

dashi
onions
carrots
potatoes
gobo (burdock root)
konnyaku (threads preferred or cut up a block into julienne pieces)
pork (look for thin slices of pork belly like for shabu-shabu)

shichimi (seven spice) for seasoning

Are mo kore mo miso sauce

3/4 cup miso
1/4 cup sake
3 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons mirin
1 Tabelspoon soy suace

warm over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.