Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Rinse the rice in a strainer or colander until the water runs clear. Combine with water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Rice should be tender and water should be absorbed. Cool until cool enough to handle.

• Step 2

  In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, oil, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool, then stir into the cooked rice. When you pour this in to the rice it will seem very wet. Keep stirring and the rice will dry as it cools.

Head to any Japanese restaurant and you'll likely be served a bowl of creamy and cloudy miso soup, perhaps with some tofu and green onion. Used as a pungent and rich flavoring ingredient in many dishes in addition to soup, miso is a paste made from a combination of soybeans, plus grains fermented with molds, bacteria and yeasts. A rice mold starter called koji is used to make miso. Much like yeast, it digests starches and breaks them down into fermentable sugars.

Traditionally making miso is a very slow process, and takes months or even years to develop the desired flavor and texture, as microbes break down and transform soybeans into a deeply layered and concentrated flavorful paste. Miso is made with different grains and levels of salt, comes in different colors, and is rich, savory, and salty, sometimes with sweet notes.

Types of Miso

Typically there are four kinds of miso.

Soybean miso, which is usually red, is made from soybeans, barley, and other grains, and is aged a long time. You only need a little red miso to add intense levels of savoriness to soups, stews, and marinades.

Rice or white miso is primarily made from soybeans and rice. It is fermented less than red miso, is lighter and slightly sweeter and used in more delicate soups, dressings, and marinades.

Yellow or barley miso is used in soups, marinades and vegetable dishes and is lighter than red miso but stronger than white miso.

Finally there is awase miso, which is a combination of red and white miso and is particularly versatile in recipes.

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, mirin, honey and sesame oil. Divide into two equal parts. Stir the rice vinegar into one part and set aside as a dipping sauce.

• Step 2

  Spread the sesame seeds out on a plate. Coat the tuna steaks with the remaining soy sauce mixture, then press into the sesame seeds to coat.

• Step 3

  Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Place steaks in the pan, and sear for about 30 seconds on each side. Serve with the dipping sauce and wasabi paste.