Can I start miso?

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Can I start miso?

Postby Pendecardiel on Thu May 03, 2018 5:04 pm

I was about to start making miso soon but I heard it is traditionally started in the winter. Is it okay to start miso in the summer or will it go bad?
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Re: Can I start miso?

Postby bjdmytro on Thu May 03, 2018 8:48 pm

No, you can make miso in the summer. I do. Some misos are best done in the heat of the summer, like shiro (sweet white miso) and edo (sweet red miso). Every year I make a batch of Shiro in June, and I let it sit through the hottest time of the year. The longer misos must sit through a whole year or more, and they have to go through summers and winters (Sendai & Mugi are ones I like to make that have a very full bodied flavor and age for about a year). Shiro takes a couple of months for me, and Edo (sweet red miso) takes about a month. Both do best in the heat of summer. The concern is the introduction of foreign organisms into the miso, but if you are careful with your sanitation that shouldn't be a problem.

I keep a couple of sanitizers in spray bottles on hand (alcohol for vessels & bleach for counter), and I wash my hands and wash/sanitize my utensils/vessels before they come in contact with the miso.
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Re: Can I start miso?

Postby cerbu on Fri May 04, 2018 3:08 am

please post the edo miso recipe, ty
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Re: Can I start miso?

Postby bjdmytro on Sun May 06, 2018 9:08 am

The following is from The Book of Miso by William Shurtleff & Akiko Aoyagi

Sweet Red (Edo) Miso uses the following weight ratio:
dry soybeans :: dry koji :: salt :: liquid
10 :: 13 :: 2.3 :: 12.3

So a small batch would have
  • 13oz dry soybeans
  • 16.9oz dry koji
  • 2.9oz salt
  • 25oz liquid

  1. rinse & soak soybeans
  2. boil soybeans 8 hours (or boil for 4 hours, let sit for 8 hours and boil for 1 more hour) This long boiling time darkens and sweetens the beans.
  3. Drain the beans (saving the liquid), and without letting them cool, mash half the beans (I coarsely mash them all with a potato masher, and some whole ones still get through.)
  4. mix beans and koji while the mash is still hot (~140F)
  5. mix in salt and bean liquid
  6. pack into a clean salted vat while still warm (~120F)
  7. Cover and put a weight on it as usual, but also cover with something to prevent moisture loss
  8. age for 3 weeks at 105F or I usually age for 4-5 weeks at 80F-85F

This miso is more prone to spoiling and must be refrigerated once it is done. You may notice that it does not call for seed miso. It is one of the few misos that does not use seed miso, otherwise it would get a sour flavor. I've actually had my first batch of this get rather sour and boosey tasting, with the hot temp and low salt this recipe can go that route.
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Re: Can I start miso?

Postby cerbu on Sun May 06, 2018 2:22 pm

thx, I will try it
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Re: Can I start miso?

Postby cerbu on Mon Aug 27, 2018 2:11 am

tried, got a little sour but verry good, all eaten
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