How to Make Miso

Noppon GO! held a miso making class yesterday. This is the recipe we used.

【Ingredients】 For about 9lbs of miso

・Soy beans 2.2lbs.
・ Rice malt 2.2lbs.
・ Salt 1lbs.
・ Seed miso 9oz.
・ Salt to use as a weight 1.8lbs.
・ Alcohol for sterilization Small amount
(Shochu, vodka, etc. that is at least 35% alcohol)
・ Water for softening the miso mixture
(1.25 cups of the water left over from cooking the beans, and 1.5oz of salt)

【Things to Prepare】

・ Miso container For 2.2lbs. of beans, obtain a 1.5gal. container. Either a ceramic or porcelain enamel jar or pot will do.
・ Large pot or bowl (at least 12in. dia.). This is needed to mash the beans and mix in other ingredients.
・ Large pot (at least 12in. dia.) for boiling the beans.
・ Masher or food processor for mashing the cooked beans. You can also use a plastic bag and rolling pin.
・ Plastic wrap, ziplock bag, newspaper, and string

【How to Make】

■ One day ahead of time

Wash the beans and soak them overnight (about 12 hours) in a volume of water 3-4 times that of the beans. When soaked in water, beans swell to about double their dry size.

■ Next day

1. Boil the beans (3-5hrs.)
Drain the beans that have been soaking and add to them and a volume of water about double that of the beans. Boil for 3-5 hours. As water evaporates from the pot, add hot water as necessary. Once the beans become soft enough to squash with a finger tip, they are done.

2. Drain the beans

Use a strainer to drain the beans, but save about 1.25 cups of the cooking water. Add 1.5oz. of salt to the water you saved while it is still hot.

3. Mash the beans

Put the beans into a large bowl or food processor and mash them while they are hot.

If you use a food processor, the key is not to process too much at one time. Add some of the salted cooking water if the processor bogs down. If you have neither a large bowl or food processor, you can put the beans into a large ziplock bag and mash them with a rolling pin.

At this point, remove any rings or bracelets and wash your hands well

4. Sterilize the miso container

Sterilize the miso container by pouring boiling water into it, pouring the water out, letting the container dry, and then wiping the inside with a cloth soaked with alcohol.

5. Mix the malted rice and salt

Put the malted rice and salt into a large bowl.

Use both hands.

Lift contents up from the bottom of the bowl and gently rub your hands toward each other to mix the contents. It is important not to crush the malted rice grains.

6. Mix everything together

Add the mashed beans and the seed miso to the malted rice and salt mixture. Mix well until you can easily stick a finger into the mixture. If the mixture is too hard, add 2-3 tablespoons of the salted cooking water. Here, too, be careful not to crush the malted rice grains.

7. Form the miso mixture into balls

Form the miso mixture into balls about 3in. in diameter. Place 3-4 of these into the miso container and then flatten firmly them with the palm or back of your hand, pressing out any air bubbles in the process.

Repeat until all of the miso mixture is transferred to the miso container.

Make sure the surface of the miso in the miso container is flat and then sprinkle a couple pinches of salt over the surface. This salt, by the way, is not included in the amount specified in the ingredients section.

8. Cover the miso mixture

Sterilize the inside wall of the container above the miso by wiping with a cloth dampened with alcohol. Cover the miso with plastic wrap. Make sure no air can pass between the inside wall of the container and the wrap.

Fill a ziplock bag with salt and seal it to create a weight. Place the bag on top of the wrap. This salt-filled ziplock bag will put even pressure on the miso mixture.

9. Cover the container

Cover the container with its lid and then cover the whole top of the container with newspaper, pulling the sides down and holding everything in place with a string tied tight. Keep the miso container in a cool, dark place. The miso will be ready to eat in 6 months, but will taste even better if it is aged at least 10 months.