Red miso
aka miso (long-aged fermented soybean paste) · Condiment
Top 10 pairings
Red miso (aka miso) is the dark, long-fermented end of the miso family — a deep red-brown paste made with a higher proportion of soybean, more salt and months to years of ageing. Where white miso is pale, sweet and mellow, red is assertively salty, robustly savoury and pungent, its colour and roasty depth built by slow Maillard browning. It is the bold counterpart for hearty winter soups, braises, glazes and marinades that want punch.
Picking a good onedrag
Sealed, even, sweet-maltyFuzzy, sour, off
Open and in useEveryday bestKeep it cold and take clean spoonfuls. Whisk it into soup off the heat, and salt the dish only after it's in.
Smell at the open tubSavoury core clean, caramel flat
The surface in the tubWhite film or dark top: skim it
The paste on a spoonCoarse, or liquid on top: stir it in
Read the tubBlend or no grain named: everyday
These cues are Miso's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.