Posts tagged soup
a forager}s guide to earthfüd
Chawan mushi - an egg custard flavored with soy sauce, dashi, and mirin, with numerous ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, kamaboko, yuri-ne (lily root) and boiled shrimp placed into a tea-cup-like container.
Kamaboko naruto
Seafood broth soup
Miso varieties
Miso varieties
There are many varieties of miso. All varieties are made from soybeans or cereals and a special koji. Koji is to miso, what malt is to beer. Koji are grains (mainly rice, but also barley) or soybeans which are fermented with Aspergillus oryzae molds. During the production of koji these Aspergillus molds will produce a lot of enzymes which will later break down the proteins and carbohydrates of the substrate.
These are the most common varieties:
Red Miso (Possibly unsafe, check label for barley, but note that barley used in the koji is often unlabeled)
Red miso is made from white rice, barley or soybeans by a natural fermentation, which takes about one to three years. The colour of red miso is red to brownish. Red miso contains the highest levels of protein of all types of miso. When rice is used as ingredient to make red miso, normally white rice is used. The fibres of brown rice are difficult to penetrate by the koji mycelium and it more difficult to prevent bacterial contamination.Red miso is used for stir-fries,miso soups and stews or to make marinades for meat, poultry and vegetables.
White Miso (Probably GF)
The white colour is obtained by using a lot of rice koji (about 60%) and fewer soybeans. Of all miso varieties, the white miso contains the most carbohydrates and therefore tastes the sweetest. It’s texture us very smooth. Because of the high carbohydrate content, the fermentation is very quick and only takes a few weeks. On the other hand, its shelf-life is limited to only one or two weeks at room temperature, or 2 months when refrigerated.
White miso is used to make light coloured soups, salad dressings and marinades for fish.
Barley Miso (Obviously off-limits)
Barley miso is made from barley grains, soybeans and barley koji. Barley miso has a very dark colour and quite salty but very rich taste. Although barley miso is the cheapest miso on the market it is loosing popularity. Barley miso is naturally fermented from one up to three years. The longer the barley miso is fermented, the darker the colour and richer the flavour.
Barley miso is used for seasoning rich soups, stews, beans, sauces and spreads.
Soybean Miso (safe/GF)
Soybean miso is only made from soybean. Soybean miso will have low carbohydrate content resulting in a very long fermentation period, at least one year. Also the koji is produced from soybeans. A special type of soybean miso is Hatcho miso. The koji for Hatcho miso contains a special mold: Aspergillus hatcho instead of the usual Aspergillus oryzae. Hatcho miso should be aged for at least 16 months. Hatcho miso is considered the miso of Emperors. Hatcho miso is reddish-brown, somewhat chunky, and often used to flavour hearty soups.
How to soak dried beans:
Method One: Quick Or Power Soak (OP’s choice, unless you like farting)
Basically, just bring a pot of water to boil, add your beans, and then let them boil for about three minutes. After boiling, remove the beans from the stove and let them sit in the hot water for 2-6 hours. This method apparently removes 80 percent of complex bean sugars. How does that toot your horn?
“The precooking, quick-soak, method, consisting of a one-minute boil followed by a soak for an hour, was more effective, removing 42.5 percent of the stachyose.” (stachyose = the sugars that break down into farts)
Method Two: Long Soak
The “Long Soak” method is the most common way to soak your beaners. Just put your beans in a large bowl or pot of water and let them sit submerged for 8-12 hours. Soaking actually begins bean germination and promotes enzyme release. The germination process is what breaks down all the complex bean sugars. Breaking down the complex sugar is a good thing as this is what gives us gas. Apparently, soaking beans using the “Long Soak” method can reduce complex sugars by up to 60 percent. I usually leave my beans to soak overnight as this prevents my “better half” from poking them to see if they are done.
Method Three: Quick Cook
This is basically the no soak method where you just throw your dried beans into a pot and cook the heck outta them. This method only really works with beans like lentils and split peas. I wouldn’t recommend the “Quick Cook” method for tougher beans like kidney or chick peas cause you will fart your friends into an oblivion. Just saying….
How to cook soaked beans:
After soaking your beans using one of the above three methods:
1. Drain the beans.
2. Add fresh water.
(Source: cookingforengineers.com)
