I'm Gonna Knock the Bitter Out of Those Greens

Mustard greens were one of the items in my weekly produce box from last week.  So for an entire week, those greens have been sitting in the bottom drawer of my refrigerator as every night I would push them aside to reach other, less bitter and less intimidating vegetables.  Today, another bunch of mustard greens showed up in my box and I sighed, almost wishing that the other batch had gone bad by now so that I could throw it away.  Terrible, I know, but when I'd tried to add them to my morning miso or stir fry they left such a bitter aftertaste in my mouth!  So tonight I was bound and determined to knock the bitter out of those greens.  This is how I did it.  I thank my mom for the idea.

Japanese-Style Mustard Greens
Serves 2 to 3

1 large bunch mustard greens, stems trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp brown rice syrup
1 tsp mirin (a sweet sake for cooking - occasionally used in macro cooking)
1/4 block of medium-firm tofu, patted dry with paper towels
crushed sesame seeds for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add greens and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Strain in a strainer and push out as much water from the greens as you can without burning your hands.  Set aside to cool for a few minutes.  Once greens have cooled, squeeze out any excess water from greens and set aside.  In a medium pan, heat sesame oil over medium heat.  Once oil is fragrant, using your fingers, separate greens as you add them to the pan.  Cook, stirring gently for about 1 minute.  Add soy sauce, syrup, and mirin to greens; stir gently until combined.  Crumble tofu with your fingers as you add it to the mustard greens.  Toss with greens and cook on low for another minute to warm tofu.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with brown rice, sauteed cabbage and adzuki beans with squash.  Oishii!

This is so good, I wish I'd made a double batch..

Getting To Know MISO

This one's for all you miso soup lovers.  

What is miso?

Miso is made from a bean (usually soy but not necessarily), sometimes a grain, salt, and a special bacteria called koji.  Because it's fermented and unpasteurized, miso is full of live enzymes that are great for digestion.  High in protein, vitamins (like E), minerals, and alkalizing to the blood, miso keeps the body balanced and happy, so it's fine to have miso every day if you'd like.  I do.  Sometimes I'll even have it once with breakfast and then again that night with dinner.  The minerals in miso also help support immune function because of it's zinc content.  I'm guessing all you sickies are wishing you've been eating a whole lot of miso soup lately...go make some right now!

Varieties ~

The different types of miso include:

• hatcho miso (made from soybeans)
• kome miso (made from white rice and soybeans)
• mugi miso (made from barley and soybeans)
• soba miso (made from buckwheat and soybeans)
• genmai miso (made from brown rice and soybeans)
• natto miso (made from ginger and soybeans)

Since there are so many varieties of miso out there, you might be wondering...

Which type of miso should I buy?

Be careful when buying miso from an asian market.  Most contain MSG, which is just not natural (and can cause headaches, nausea, heart palpitations...need I go on?).  Miso made with barley and aged at least 2 years is considered preferable to other misos in terms of its medicinal properties.  You can usually find barley miso at health food stores, or you can buy them online here or here.  If you try barley miso and you're not wild about it, try alternating with other misos that are more mild tasting.  Personally, I love barley miso.  It warms me from the inside out on the coldest days...

How do I make miso soup?

I thought you'd never ask!

Restaurant-Style Miso Soup

Serves 2

1 scallion, thinly sliced

2" piece wakame, cut into small pieces with scissors

1/4 of a block of soft or silken tofu, diced into small cubes

2 teaspoons barley miso

Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium pot.  Reduce heat, add scallions and wakame to pot, and simmer over low heat for 6-8 minutes.  Fill a ladle with some of the soup broth, dissolve miso in it, and then add it back to the soup.  Add tofu cubes and heat on low heat for 2 more minutes.  Serve immediately.

You can easily turn this into a hearty soup by adding all kinds of things - boy choy, dandelion greens, kale, cabbage, brown onions, carrots and other root vegetables - whatever your little "asian" heart desires!