Almond Miso Oatmeal Cookies

February 5, 2022September 7, 2022 Belinda

These Almond Miso Oatmeal Cookies come out crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with salty and nutty flavor addition from white miso paste.

1 cup unsalted butter (225 g), softened
1/4 cup white miso paste
1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
1 cup brown sugar (200 g)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (240 g)
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups rolled oats (270 g)
1 cup sliced almond (110 g)

Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.

Prepare 2 baking sheets and grease or line them with parchment papers or baking mats.
In big bowl, cream butter, miso, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until incorporated. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

In different bowl, combine all purpose flour and baking soda. Stir in the dry ingredient into the wet ingredient. With a spatula, stir in the oats and almond slices until incorporated.

With ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop the dough on prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches apart.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to prevent the cookies from spreading.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Five-Ingredient Creamy Miso Pasta

December 12, 2020December 12, 2020 Belinda

This is my kind of recipe that allows for a huge variety in flavors and has that wow factor with the added miso and nori.

This one-pot pasta comes together in minutes, and requires zero prep and minimal cleanup. It builds on the classic combination of pasta, butter and cheese with a spoonful of miso paste for complexity.
But you could experiment with using any other condiments or spices you have on hand, such as red pesto, curry paste or ground turmeric in place of the miso.
To achieve a silky smooth pasta, you’ll need to put your cacio e pepe skills to work: Vigorously toss the pasta, grated cheese and pasta water together to achieve a properly emulsified sauce. Top with shrimp, edamame, frozen peas or any steamed vegetable.
The optional nori or furikake imparts an unexpected flavor of the sea, and it’s worth using if you have it on hand.
Recipe by Alexa Weibel

Kosher salt
16 oz spaghetti, linguine or bucatini
6 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp white (or red) miso
4 oz Parmesan, finely grated (1 packed cup)
Kizami nori, furikake or thinly sliced seaweed snacks, for garnish (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta water, then drain the pasta.

Add the butter, miso and 1 1/4 cups pasta water to the pot and whisk over medium heat until miso breaks down and liquid is uniform, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the pasta and Parmesan and cook, stirring vigorously with tongs until cheese is melted and sauce emulsifies. (The key word here is “vigorously.” To achieve a silky smooth pasta instead of a gloppy one, put your cacio e pepe skills to work.)

Divide among shallow bowls and sprinkle with nori or furikake, if using.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Vegetable sides

Sticky miso and tahini eggplant wedges

August 5, 2019 Belinda

Gooey caramelized miso and sesame-baked aubergine wedges are finished with the sweet-sour tang of pomegranate molasses to make this more-ish vegetarian side dish. From “Delicious” magazine.

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2 medium eggplants, cut lengthways into wedges
Olive oil to drizzle
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2-3 tbsp pomegranate molasses (from the world food section of large supermarkets)
Large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
Greek yogurt to serve (optional)

For the dressing

3 tbsp white miso paste
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp tahini
Juice 1 lemon

Heat the oven to 400F.
Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl, then add the eggplants wedges and toss to coat well.
Transfer the eggplants and dressing to a large roasting tray, drizzle over a little oil and season with salt and ground black pepper.
Roast the eggplants for 35-40 minutes until golden, sticky and soft.
Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds briefly in a dry frying pan until pale golden. When the wedges are cooked, arrange on a serving platter.
Drizzle with the pomegranate molasses and scatter over the sesame seeds and fresh chopped herbs.
Serve with a dollop of yogurt if you like.

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Fish

Miso-marinated black cod

September 3, 2016September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is my most favorite way of eating fish in a Japanese restaurant and I recently discovered it was so much easier than I ever imagined to make at home!
Make sure you allow 3 days for this as you need to marinate it for this length of time. After that there’s precious little to do and the final result is so buttery and gorgeous!

Serves 4

1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
4 tablespoons white miso paste
3 tablespoons sugar
4 black cod fillets, about 1/2 pound each

Two to 3 days beforehand, make the miso marinade and marinate the fish. Bring the sake and mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol. Turn the heat down to low, add the miso paste, and whisk. When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, whisking constantly to ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Pat the black cod fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels. Slather the fish with the miso marinade and place in a non-reactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

To cook the fish:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat an oven-proof skillet over high heat on the stovetop. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets, but don’t rinse it off. Film the pan with a little oil, then place the fish skin-side-up on the pan and cook until the bottom of the fish browns and blackens in spots, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily.

** Instead of cooking the fish on the stove top, you can do this step on an outdoor grill or under the broiler in your oven.