permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@bellsouth.net>]

Jeff wrote:
> Hey Lawrence, would you teach us to make miso soup?

Here? and now? OK

Miso: red, white, barley, rice, hatcho, sweet white etc.
Best misos come from Japan and from specialized importers
who do the research and sell quality products. This is only
a little more expensive than buying the US made from NC (Miso Master
is great miso) - great miso but not equal to the traditional,
sometimes from family operations, from Japan.

I buy all of my Japanese macrobiotic foods from this company alone:

Natural Import Co.
Asheville, N.C.
http://www.naturalimport.com/

excellent prices, service and products - none better or even equal
Browse their product line and learn what is available to you. Later I'll
give you a list of items from them I always keep in stock.

For greater probiotic effect hatcho miso is the best - use when you need a 
cure
or a tonic - this is the type of miso the Samurai carried with them for 
strength and nourishment.

So, make miso soup from a barley miso. Take heavy saucepan (cast iron OK), 
put moderate amount of oil in it
and saute very lightly carrot, onion, cabbage, bell pepper, celery (any or 
all of those vegetables)
meanwhile you have put a quantity of dulse seaweed (or some other type that suits your taste) in a bowl with a little 
water to soak and become soft; also put your miso in a suribachi with water and use the wooden pestle to put it into 
solution or slurry -
after vegetables are cooked very al dente add a bunch of water and warm the mixture to a temperature below that which 
would pasteurize the microbes in the miso - then add the seaweed, water and all, then add the miso slurry
remove suacepan from heat and stir the soup - serve in nice medium sized 
round bowls with carved wooden spoons

serve with wholegrain, sustainably grown rice - garnish with gomasio if 
desired

take wok - heat hot as hell then add oil at the top and around the inside rim to flow to the bottom (this keeps it from 
burning and smoking so much)  - immediately add diced tofu and toss with large wooden spoon
after the tofu apporaches browing add some mirin (cooking rice wine) and a 
little brown rice vinegar - great aroma
shortly before serving add some miso tamari or plain tamari to the tofu - 
toss and heat well - then serve with rice
eat miso first then rice and tofu