Couldtherebeacelestialsourceofmisopaste?MasterChef
judge anddelicious. senior editorMatt Preston speculates.ILOVEA
MISO MYSTERY
MISO ALMOND BUTTER CORN CAKE STACK
(COVER RECIPE)
SERVES 411 / 2 tbs rice wine vinegar
1 tbs caster sugar
100g blanched almonds, toasted(^1) / 4 cup(80g)white(shiro)misopaste
100gunsalted butter, softened
150g palm sugar, finely grated
6 long red chillies (seeds removed – optional), thinly sliced
6 thinly sliced streaky bacon rashers
4 corn cobs, kernels removed
125gplain flour
1 tsp each baking powder and ground cumin
4longgreenshallots,white parts chopped,
green parts shredded
1 bunch coriander, stems thinly sliced, leaves picked
3eggs,lightlybeaten,plus1lightly beaten eggwhite
Sunflower oil, to shallow-fry
Avocado wedges, to serve
Tomakethealmondmiso,place1tbsvinegarandcastersugar
in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until sugar
dissolves. Stand to cool slightly, then place vinegar mixture,
almonds,misoandbutterinablenderandwhiz until well
combined.Transfertoabowlandsetaside.
To make the bacon chilli caramel, place palm sugar and 100ml
waterinasmallsaucepanandbringtotheboil.Reducetoa
simmer and cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes or until reduced
slightly.Stirthroughchilliandremaining2tspvinegar,andcook,
stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until thickened slightly.
Removefromheat.Placebaconinalargefrypanoverhighheat.
When hot, cook for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden.
Transfer to chopping board, chop and stir through caramel.
Tomakethefritters,combinecornkernels,flour,bakingpowder,
cumin, chopped shallot, coriander stems, beaten whole eggs,
2tspsaltflakesandapinchoffreshlygroundblackpepperina
bowl.Foldthrougheggwhite.Heat1cmoilinanon-stickfrypan
overmediumheat.Inbatches,place^1 / 3 cupbatterinpan.Spread
slightlyandcookfor3minuteseachsideoruntilcookedthrough.
Servefritterswithbaconchillicaramel,almond miso, avocado,
coriander leaves and shredded shallot. (^) PHOTOGRAPHY
NIGEL LOUGH
STYLING
KIRSTEN JENKINS
MERCHANDISING
EMMALY STEWART
IN NOVEMBER LASTyear, NASA’sInSightlander touched down
onMars.Itsmission:todrillintotheplanet’ssurfacetoprogress
geologicalscience.Butcouldtherebemoretoitthanthis?
CoulditbeNASAissearchingforanytruthtotherumourthat,
whenMars,inJuly2018,passedclosertoearththanithaddone
at any point in the previous decade, keen astronomers noticed
thattheRedPlanetborearemarkablesimilaritytoaverylargeball
ofredmisopaste?AndcouldthisbewhyJapanlaunchedafailed
Marsmissionin1998?Somanyquestions,butonlyonethatreally
matters: ifInSightconfirms that Mars is made of miso, what will we
do with all that miso paste? I have some thoughts:
BROTHS AND RAMEN
Obviously,thatmisocanbeused,alongwithvegetable,chicken
orporkstock,soy,mirin,sakeandasplashofricewinevinegar
or a handful of bonito flakes to add flavour to other Japanese-
inspiredbrothsandramens.Here,everythingfromfreshsilkytofu,
udon or soba noodles can be thrown in, and topped with Asian
greens,shreddedspringonionsorevenslicesoffive-spicedcrispy
pork belly and shredded nori. We’ll find inspiration for bowls of
slurpy goodness like these at delicious.com.au.
MISO GLAZE
Nobu dehydrates miso into thin sheets to make savoury flakes to
sprinkleonvegetablesandsalad,buthisuseofasumisoglazeon
hisfamousblackcoddishisperhapsofmoreinteresttomostof
us.Asumisoglazeisanartfulcombinationof150gwhitemiso
paste sweetened with a mix of 50ml mirin, 50ml cooking sake,
10mlfreshlysqueezedgingerjuiceand40mlricewinevinegar,
with 75g caster sugar dissolved into it. Try it on pork fillet, salmon,
kingfish or ocean trout.
MISO MARINADE
Mixmisowithgratedgarlicandginger.Addmaplesyruporhoney
tosweeten.Smearalloverwhateveryouwanttomarinade–pork
chops, chicken thighs or slices of sweet potato, for instance.
MISO BUTTER
Blend80gmisopastewith100gtoastedblanchedalmondsand
80gsoftenedunsaltedbutter.Dissolve2tbscastersugarwith
2tbswarmedwinevinegarandaddtothemisobutterbitbybit
untilitbalancesoutthesaltinessalittle.Smearthisoncornon
thecoborbrusselssproutsbefore(orafter)grilling,slatherunder
theskinofchickenforroasting,oruseasadressingforsteamed
beans,grilledsteakorsteamedbabypotatoes. Or just use it to
sandwich corn cakes as in the recipe here.
Head to delicious.com.au for even more of Matt’s miso ideas.
42 delicious.com.au