Japanese cooking question for all o'you culture experts

[SarahtheBoring]

There's that too... also from the Asian grocery. I'll have to make it there one of these days.

Sorry about the outburst, just had a pissy moment (Noooo, ya don't say.)

[EarthCurrent]

I'll just pop in here.

Unforetunately, there really isn't anything you can use to replace miso. Personally I'm not a fan of miso, as it is, truthfully, an acquired taste. However, I know that miso is a pretty adaptable ingredient and has a wide range of applications, so if you like it, it is certainly something worth having in the kitchen.

You might also look at grabbing some light (not lite) and dark soy sauce if you decide to visit the Asain grocer, if you haven't found some already. Most grocery stores only carry regular soy, but occasionally you can find some.

Light soy is saltier and thinner while Dark is darker, has a thicker texture, and has a sweet molasses undertone to it. If you start cooking more asain cuisine you'll notice that a lot of recipes will request either dark or light soy. While you can easily substitute in regular soy sauce for light, try not to substitute it for dark, you'll be missing out on the flavors that dark soy sauce can contibute to a dish. Dark soy is usuually pretty good in meat marinades that call for regular soy sauce.

[Nappy]

I got instant miso before, its not really as good as most restaraunts :l

Korean ramen is alot betta :o My costco even sells it by the case, and mochi ice cream too :D

[Garylisk]

Personally I'm not a fan of miso, as it is, truthfully, an acquired taste.

Hmmm, I never thought so.. I guess everyone has different tastes, but I loved Miso from the first time I tried it. It was when my Japanese 1 class when to a local Japanese restaraunt called Tachibana. They serve Miso and Salad with all lunch orders.. I was kinda iffy on the Miso, but once I took a sip, I was in heaven.

I'm kind of a Miso addict you might say. I love it