Taste Buds

Dinner tonight: “Miso Three Ways”

Miso soup. Miso broccoli salad. Miso braised short ribs. 

— Background info — 

Since I was feeling sick, I had a big container of miso paste I need to finish. So I thought to myself - could I make multiple course meal based off of one ingredient? 

It reminded me of my time at the Modern, a fancy schmancy restaurant I went to in New York. I went for brunch and was presented with my first course “Eggs Six Ways “. And it was like, an egg fried potato with a raw yolk and hollandaise sauce, then literally an egg 3 others ways, which I can no longer remember. Obviously I’m not advanced enough to put miso six ways together in one dish but I think I could do it in 3 dishes, which I did. 

What I felt like I missed out on today was a miso banana caramel ice cream. I really would’ve loved to make a savoury ice cream but I didn’t have the time and no ice cream machine. So I’ll save it for next time. Can’t get too greedy you know. 

This is probably one of the most intense dinners I’ve cooked for friends before. It was well worth the effort seeing how much they ate. I surprisingly timed everything well too (braised ribs first then a short break, then broccoli, then soup). Honestly my feet hurt, it was 3-4 hours of active cooking but super rewarding. 

— Recipes and the Stuff i changed — 
Miso soup: No recipe. I didn’t do the thing where I bring down the temperature before I add the miso. Miso paste, konbu, tofu, onions. Didn’t measure anything. 

Miso broccoli salad: https://dishingouthealth.com/roasted-broccoli-salad/. Used store bought miso dressing. Substituted panko crumbs with crushed cornflakes, which I toasted on the stovetop. Instead of bacon I used prosciutto, because I felt it could be crispier. 300F in air fryer for 20 min, flip halfway through, broil on low for 4 min. Technically you should blanch them first but ain’t nobody got time for that. 

Miso braised short ribs: https://whisperofyum.com/post/miso-short-ribs-with-cilantro-sauce/. I made a mistake, I deglazed the pot with sake before I pan fried the onion, ginger, and garlic. Its alright. Followed the recipe but added an extra 1.5 cups of stock and water to reduce the saltiness of the miso before adding it to the oven. In the recipe she used a whole bulb of garlic, which she takes out at the end. This felt wasteful to me. I used whole peeled garlic gloves instead, so they became like caramelized flavour bites. After taking it out, it was still too salty, so added maybe 2 more tablespoons of sugar. The recipe suggested that you take the ribs out and then reduce the stew once its ready to serve. But it was just too salty for it to reduce even more. So instead of waiting for it to reduce, I used a tablespoon of flour to create the gravy, and a splash of cream, which is not in the recipe. The sauce was the best part, and my friends ate more sauce than they did the ribs. I didn’t even get to eat any garlic or onions because they drank all the sauce. Worth it. Oh and for next time I would’ve loved to use mushroom stock or vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. 

Cilantro salsa (recipe with braised ribs above): honestly I didn’t feel like making a salsa, I wanted a finishing oil. I never finish sauces either and oil stays longer than salsa. Author also recommended that it be made and served 10 min before, but I didn’t have time for that since I was doing the broccoli and the miso. I hate the texture of chopped cilantro, it’s just slimy and gets stuck in my teeth. So instead I blended the cilantro with some neutral oil, and then strained the cilantro through a sieve, and mixed the infused oil into the sauce. No more green cilantro bits stuck between your teeth and you’re able to get a solid bite of garlic or ginger on top of the braised rib.

Epic dinner party breakdown by resident taste bud @samantha, worth the read!

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