Oven Roasted Eggplant and Mushroom Miso Soup
Posted on 03/17/2010 11:47:33 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Do you know that the most medicinal soy food is miso? MEENA SREENIVASAN finds out more
NOT many of us know of the goodness of “miso”.
Current scientific research supports its historical health claims, and this delicious food is undoubtedly an effective therapeutic aid in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, certain cancers, radiation sickness and hypertension.
According to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, miso soup consumption is also linked with up to a 50 per cent reduced risk of breast cancer. As it is fermented with a B12 synthesising bacteria, it has been commonly recommended as an excellent Vitamin B12 source for vegans.
Being high in sodium, a little miso goes a long way towards providing your daily needs for the trace minerals zinc, manganese and copper.
This fermented soybean paste that is easily available in most of our local supermarkets and organic shops is a versatile condiment for a host of recipes.
“Although general perception is that it originates from Japan, it is actually an oriental food invented by the Chinese a few thousand years ago,” says Woods Macrobiotics' counsellor June Ka Lim.
“This art of fermentation was introduced to Korea and then Japan in the Tang Dynasty by zen monks.
“In most of the Asian and Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, each has its own version of miso ‘fermented bean paste’,” she adds.
While miso is usually made from soybeans, it can also be produced from rice, barley or wheat by adding a yeast mould, known as “koji”, together with other fermentable ingredients.
Miso has a texture similar to peanut butter and is available in flavours ranging from meaty and savoury to sweet and delicate.
While you’ll most often find miso in soup, it is also used in sauces, dressings and some desserts.
You can substitute miso for salt in your cooking. A single tablespoon of miso contains two grams of protein for just 25 calories.
June advises using miso in our daily food and diet routine by just adding it to soups, stir-fries or even to make “rojak” sauce.
But there is a difference between organic miso and those found in the supermarkets, she says. “Organic miso is traditionally fermented from organic whole soybeans, organic wheat for two to three years and the ingredients used are certified organic and non-genetically modified. The conventional miso you get from the supermarkets are non-certified and made speedily by adding a kind of enzyme to expedite fermentation.
“Generally, fast miso takes only one to two months to produce and soybean extracts, not whole soybeans, are used in this case,” she says.
In her restaurant, Woods Macrobiotics, June uses miso in a host of the dishes on the menu.
Here, she gives us a few recipes which are simple and easy-to-make.
Benefits of miso - OTHER scientific findings on the benefits of miso include reduces breast cancer risk, decreases tumours by two thirds in animal experiments, removes radioactive elements from the body, protects against stomach cancer and heart diseases.
Miso has an anti-tumour effect on brain, breast and prostate cancer and it promotes longevity. — courtesy of Woods Macrobiotics (www.macrobiotics-malaysia.com) - The benefits of consuming organic miso on a regular basis include prevents cancer, regulates cholesterol and blood pressure, prevents diabetes, anti-aging, alleviates skin allergy, prevents acidosis, strengthens liver, nerve energy and blood, prevents fatty liver and colon cancer, improves digestion, discharges radiation from x-ray, mobile phone and computer and heavy metal contamination. — Source: Japan National Cancer Centre.
ORGANIC SHIITAKE BROWN RICE MISO SOUP This recipe has healing properties and serves four.
Ingredients: 80g mustard green, organic 80g carrot, organic 8 pieces Daifuku shiitake 5 cups Daifuku 3M dashi soup stock (available at organic shops) 4 tbsp Daifuku barley miso 20g organic momen tofu, crushed Method: 1. Rinse mustard green, cut into 3cm length.
2. Remove stem of shiitake, soak in filtered water, conserve soaking liquid.
3. Bring dashi to a boil, add shiitake and soaking water, add carrot.
4. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
5. Blend miso with a little filtered water, stir into the soup.
6. Add tofu.
GRILLED PUMPKIN (ORGANIC) WITH MISO DRESSING Ingredients: 6 slices organic pumpkin 2 tbsp organic high oleic sunflower oil for grilling 4-5 mini Cos lettuce (Romaine lettuce), organic Method: 1. Pre-heat grilling pan, brush pan with sunflower oil.
2. Grill pumpkin for about 1-2 minutes until slight brown.
3. Arrange Cos lettuce (Romaine lettuce) on a serving plate.
4. Arrange pumpkin slices on top of the lettuce.
5. Spoon miso dressing (see recipe below) over pumpkin.
MISO DRESSING, ORGANIC Ingredients: 10g organic barley miso 5g organic toasted sesame oil 20g non-alcohol mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine) Method: Blend all ingredients well.
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They even had some reduced sodium versions.
Oven Roasted Eggplant and Mushroom Miso Soup
Recipe, please???
Oven Roasted Eggplant and Mushroom Miso Soup
“I have really been enjoying the eggplants this year. I just had to try and eggplant miso soup. I ended up doing an oven roasted eggplant and mushroom miso soup. Simple oven roasted eggplant is really good. The oven roasted mushrooms added a really nice flavour to the broth. I think that this oven roasted eggplant and mushroom miso soup is my new favorite miso soup!
Ingredients:
1 slice eggplant (1/2 inch thick)
4 cremini mushrooms (quartered)
1 cup dashi
1 tablespoon miso
1 green onion (chopped)
Directions:
1. Broil the eggplant and mushrooms in the oven for about 10 minutes.
2. Cut the eggplant into bite sized pieces.
3. Bring the dashi, eggplant and mushrooms to a boil in a small sauce pan.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Dissolve the miso with some of the heated dashi in a separate bowl. (We do not want to boil the miso as it will not taste as good.)
6. Add the miso back to the soup.
7. Pour the soup into a bowl and top with green onion.
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