No-miss Miso

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No-miss Miso

When I worked as an English teacher in Taiwan, my cleverest class was a group of middle-aged architects. No matter what lesson plan I had in mind, these students would eventually divert the conversation to one of three topics: sumo wrestling, Jackie Chan movies, or young bachelor relatives who were eager to meet me.

Although I was able to veer my students away from these topics, one sure way to make me abandon a lesson plan was the promise of food. It only took three words to convince me: "Wo-men ching ni," meaning "Our treat."

Although the promised bachelors never materialized, the meals that did were amazing. Because my students loved Japanese food, we would often hold class in a restaurant's private tatami room, feasting on sushi, sashimi, broiled eel, and my newfound favorite: miso soup. I remember watching, transfixed, as granules of miso -- soybean paste -- alternately suspended themselves in the broth and then settled to the bottom again.

After I moved back to the States, I tried to duplicate the foods I'd enjoyed in Asia, especially the miso soup. With help from my roommate's mother, who had trained as a chef in her native Japan, I learned to use miso as a basic seasoning in many other Japanese dishes. As we cooked together in my kitchen, she taught me the subtle variations between different misos. I learned that light miso is sweeter, whereas red miso has a stronger, saltier flavor.

But miso isn't just for Japanese food. Used sparingly, it can add depth to dressings, marinades, and sauces. I like to swirl light miso into vegetable soup just before serving to provide an extra flavor boost. The richer red miso lends an exotic flair to fish and tofu marinades.

When I whip up a steaming bowl of miso soup, I thank my former students for sharing their love of Japanese food with me. Who knows where I'd be today if they had gotten me hooked on sumo wrestling?

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Jean Patterson has written for Veggie Life, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications.

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