Onion and Potato Miso Soup Recipe

                                     Onion and Potato Miso Soup

Onions and potatoes are basic ingredients which can easily be obtained anywhere. This is a simple and quick recipe, and it tastes good, too.

Ingredients:

* 170 g onion
* 140 g potato
* 800 ml bonito soup stock
* 3 or 4 tablespoons white or red miso

Cooking Procedure:

* Peel the onion and slice thinly.
* Peel the potato and cut in half. Cut each half into 0.5 cm. wide slices.
* Boil bonito soup stock and add onion and potato slices.
* After the onions and potatoes become soft, put some stock into a ladle. Add the miso and stir with chopsticks until it is dissolved. Stir into the soup. Remove from heat.

Deep-Fried Eggplant with Miso Recipe

                                      Deep-Fried Eggplant with Miso

Deep frying the eggplant makes it very soft. The sweet miso sauce goes very well with it.

Ingredients:

* 480 g eggplants
* 360 ml salad oil

Sauce:

* 4 tablespoons white or red miso
* 5 tablespoons sugar
* 4 tablespoons sweet sake for seasoning (mirin)

Cooking Procedure:

* Wash the eggplants. Slice diagonally into 3 to 4 cm. wide pieces. Drain them in a colander.
* Heat the oil to 170°C and deep-fry the eggplant pieces on each side (about 4 minutes). Remove from the pan and drain on a rack, placed over a paper towel.
* Mix the miso, sugar and sweet sake for seasoning (mirin) in a dish. Warm it in a microwave.
Nasu-no-shigiyaki
* Pour the miso sauce over the eggplant pieces.

Fried Bitter Gourd Recipe

                                   Fried Bitter Gourd

The vitamin C content in bitter gourds is five times that of a tomato. They are also abundant in calcium and dietary fiber. Thus, they are very good for your health.

Ingredients:

* 1 bitter gourd
* 200 g thinly sliced pork
* 2 eggs
* 1 block tofu
* a little salt
* suitable amount bonito flakes (optional)
* 1 tablespoon salad oil
* 1 teaspoon salt

Cooking Procedure:

* Wrap the tofu in a paper towel. Put it in a tray. Place a folded kitchen towel under one side of the tray and lean the tray on it. Let sit for about 30 to 60 minutes.
* Cut bitter gourd in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds with a spoon.
* Cut into very thin half-moon shapes.
* Put into a bowl and rub with a little salt. Wash and drain.
* Beat the egg. Cut pork into bite-size pieces. Cut the tofu block in half lengthwise, then cut each half across 3 times. Finally, place the knife halfway down the side of the block and slice across to form 16 bite-size pieces.
* Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the salad oil in a frying pan. Pan-broil both sides of the tofu pieces until they turn brown. Remove from the pan.
* Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of the oil to the frying pan and fry the pork and gourd slices until done. Return the tofu to the pan. Add the egg and 1 teaspoon salt and mix. Gōya-chanpuru
* Serve with bonito flakes on top if preferred.

Japanese Radish and Abura-age Miso Soup Recipe

                                Japanese Radish and Abura-age Miso Soup

The sweet taste of white miso suits the Japanese radish of this dish well. The soup will make you warm, especially in cold winter.

Ingredients:

* 150 g Japanese white radish
* 2 abura-age
* 800 ml bonito soup stock
* 3 or 4 tablespoons white or red miso

Cooking Procedure:

* Peel the Japanese radish and cut into julienne slices. Cut age in half, then cut each half into 4 equal strips.
* Boil bonito soup stock. Add the radish and age strips.
* After boiling, put some stock into a ladle. Add the white miso and stir with chopsticks until it is dissolved. Stir into the soup. Remove from heat.

Spinach with Sesame Seed Dressing Recipe

                                            Spinach with Sesame Seed Dressing


This dish is very simple-just boil spinach and add soy sauce, sugar and sesame.

Ingredients:

* 200 g fresh spinach
* 3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons sugar

Cooking Procedure:

* Cut off the stems of the spinach and wash.
* Fill a medium-size pan with water. Bring to a boil and add the spinach.
* After boiling, drain the spinach, and immediately immerse in cold water to keep the green color.
* Parch the sesame seeds over medium-high heat until they crackle and pop.
* Put them in an earthenware mortar (suribachi) or food processor and crush. Add soy sauce and sugar, then blend well. Put this mixture in a bowl.
* Drain the cold water from the spinach. Squeeze out any excess water with your hands. Cut spinach into 3 cm. long pieces.
* Add the spinach to mixture (Step 5) and mix.