Miso, the Japanese paste of fermented soy beans, packs an umami punch. It adds an extra-savoury dimension to soups, marinades and salad dressings, and once you’ve tried miso butter, you’ll never look back – see Peter Gilmore’s recipe for grilled shiitake mushrooms with umami butter, or the snapper with broccolini and nori-miso butter. And don’t just limit miso to mains. It works wonders in desserts too, adding a pleasing salty counterpoint to sweets. Our pick? The peanut and miso shortbread bars by Lemonpi (aka Yu-ching Lee).
Miso noodle soup with mushrooms and ginger
Miso broth with spring vegetables and tofu
Little Valley’s miso-poached chicken and ham salad with chilli dressing
Prawn, cabbage and soba noodle salad
Miso with soba, poached eggs and spring onion
Radish, pear and seaweed salad with miso dressing
Chilled cucumber-ginger soup with raw tuna and miso
Korean miso soup with oyster cream (doenjang guk)
Matcha noodles with miso broth and soft egg
Peter Gilmore’s grilled shiitake mushrooms with umami butter
Grant Achatz’s cucumber, orchard fruits and lettuces with white sesame, white pepper and white miso dressing
Toasted corn and spelt with miso dressing
Fuyu’s fried cauliflower with white miso, sesame and furikake
Yama Kitchen & Bar’s potatoes with miso and pecorino
Miso-glazed mushrooms with walnuts and black barley
Snapper with broccolini and nori-miso butter
Charred miso eggplant with nori and sesame
Miso chicken and green beans with sesame
Japanese mustard-miso roasted beef fillet
Barbecued lamb ribs with yuzu-sesame yakiniku sauce
Miso-caramel apples with macadamia crumble
Chocolate self-saucing pudding with miso and sesame crunch
Miso roast mulloway with sesame and sautéed greens
Pan-fried barramundi with eggplant and miso purée
Tetsuya’s caramelised apple and saikyo miso cream