What is miso and where can you buy it?

|mees-o|

Adam Bush

Published: April 22, 2020 at 6:30 PM

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Discover what miso is, where to shop for it, and how to use it in our ingredient glossary

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What is miso?

Miso is a fermented paste traditionally made from cooked soy beans, koji (inoculated cooked rice), salt and often grains such as rice or barley. Miso originates in Japan and has many different varieties, but will usually be labelled as white, red or brown in the UK. It adds savoury, umami flavours to foods and can be fermented over a number of years to intensify its flavour. It is often used in soups, broths, dressings and stews, as well as to marinate meat.

Read the expert guide to miso paste here

Where to buy miso

Clearspring Organic Japanese Brown Rice Miso, £4/300g, Waitrose

Clearspring Organic Japanese Brown Rice Miso, £7.77/300g, Amazon

Miso recipes

Miso and chilli chicken noodle soup

Fry shredded chicken in miso and gochujang and add to this nutritious broth for a gut-friendly meal.

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe with Miso and Chilli

Sticky miso nuts and seeds

If salted caramel is your bag, then get ready for miso caramel – a heady mix of the salt and sweet combination with a shed load of umami. The miso caramel makes these nuts ridiculously moreish but would also be great on griddled aubergines, barbecued chicken thighs or on roasted pumpkin.