Out of all the Japanese tastes miso is the most intense, packed with surprises and, of course, is the most umami. In a way, it stands in the contrary to all the other flavors of Japan, as the country is rather known for its purity and mildness. For me, though, miso is Japan’s most staple dish, both comforting and true, just like rosół in Poland, consommé in France or the chicken soup in the US. It’s like a universal remedy to most troubles you come across. Feeling cold? Get some miso. Feeling lonely? Get some miso. Feeling down? Get some miso (then chocolate of course but that’s not the point). Just like a down-filled quilt it will quietly embrace your stomach and sorrows and lull them back to sleep. Sshhh… Don’t struggle. It’s good for you.

Miso with salmon and Japanese mushrooms

(a really rich version with a really poor specification)

Ingredients:

1-1 ½ L dashi stock (homemade version is more subtle than the instant one but feel free to use either of them)

3-4 Tbsp light miso paste (less or more to taste)

A small handful of dried wakame seaweed

1 package of enoki mushrooms (aproximately 100 g)

6-7 dried shiitake mushrooms

100 g tofu, diced into small cubes

250 g udon noodles (I use frozen as they’re easier to get where I live)

a small (150 g) salmon steak or fillet (fresh or frozen and thawed)

1 small leek, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)

2 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce (less or more to taste)

2-3 green onions (to serve)

shichimi togarashi (to serve and taste)

Preparation:

Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water in a small bowl for 15 minutes. Then slice them, discarding the hard stem parts. Keep the water from soaking mushrooms.

Soak wakame in lots of cold water in a separate bowl. After 10 minutes they are ready to be strained.

Cut off bottom parts of stems from enoki.

In a medium pan bring dashi to a gentle boil. Add miso paste. Stir to dissolve. Add salmon, mushrooms, wakame and tofu and gently boil for approximately 10-15 minutes, until the salmon is cooked. Without taking it out of the pan gently break salmon into flakes (I use chopsticks). Add leek and let boil 3-4 more minutes. Taste and add soy sauce to your liking.

In a separate pan cook udon.

Put udon into serving bowls, pour soup onto udon and top with green onions and a dash of shichimi togarashi.

Serves… a lot. Probably 6-8 servings.

(Note that usually miso comes as a starter or a part of a bigger meal, but miso from this post can easily be served a separate entrée.)

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