One of the known ingredients in Japanese food shops is Miso. However, it can be way more than a broth starter.
As for Miso, there are different types of miso depending on the primary ingredient, yet they are full of umami-richness. Moreover, it is divided into three categories: Red, Golden-yellow, and white.
For convenience, it sticks to only three types based on primary raw ingredients.
Key Takeaways
- White miso has a lighter, sweeter taste, while red miso offers a stronger, saltier flavor.
- Red miso undergoes a longer fermentation process compared to white miso.
- White miso works well in soups and salad dressings, whereas red miso suits heavier dishes like stews and marinades.
White Miso vs Red Miso
White miso, also known as shiro miso, is a type of fermented soybean paste used in Japanese cuisine. It is made by mixing cooked soybeans with koji and salt. Red miso, is a type of fermented soybean paste used in Japanese cuisine. It has a bold, robust flavor with a pronounced umami taste.
White miso is the combination of soybeans and rice fermented for a short duration of up to three weeks. It has a nutty and slightly sweet flavour.
One can assume from its name only that it appears to be white. Moreover, its taste varies from sweet to salty depending on the primary raw ingredients.
White miso has a shorter ageing period and hardly needs stirring during its maturing process. Lastly, white miso can be used in miso soup, salad dressing, and ramen, etc.
Red miso has a larger amount of soybeans than white miso fermented in a longer span as compared to white miso. As for flavour, it is filled with umami richness and bold flavours.
Regardless of the primary ingredients, the name signifies the reddish appearance of the miso. Thus, it is named red miso.
Moreover, the fermentation period is very long as it can be a year or longer than that. And it requires frequent stirring in the maturing process.
Lastly, it can be used in gravies or stews.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | White Miso | Red Miso |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | White miso appears whitish or pale yellow in color. | Red miso appears reddish. |
| Soybeans quantity | White miso has soybeans and rice in balanced quantities. | Red miso has a higher concentration of soybeans. |
| Flavour | It has a nutty and slightly sweet taste. | It has a bold burst of flavours. |
| Fermentation period | It has a shorter period of fermentation. | It has a longer fermentation period. |
| Stirring in the maturing process | No requirement to stir in white miso during the maturing process. | There’s a frequent need for stirring during the maturing process. |
What is White Miso?
White miso is composed of soybeans and rice in a balanced quantity, but it is fermented for a short period. It appears to be whitish or pale yellow.
Regardless of its composition, it is named white miso due to its color. The fermentation process takes up a short duration of up to three weeks, and the maximum time can take up to three months.
As for the flavour, it has a nutty and slightly sweet taste. But, sometimes, flavour varies as well due to the ingredients.
White miso is used in many foods, such as miso soup, salad, and ramen, etc. Soybeans used in the white miso are boiled rather than steam as protein is dissolved in hot water.
The protein is responsible for making miso brown. Thus the ‘Malliard reaction’ doesn’t happen, and miso turns white.
Moreover, koji is used in higher concentrations as compared to raw soybean which produces a lot of sugar at high temperatures. As for the stirring process during the maturing phase, white miso doesn’t require stirring because it has a short fermenting span.
Furthermore, there are different types of white miso. They are Kansai white miso, Sanuki white miso, fuchu white miso, and Shinshu white miso.
Also, they are used differently for different food.
What is Red Miso?
Red miso has a higher concentration of soybeans, and it is fermented for a longer period. It appears to be reddish. Obviously!
Regardless of its composition, it is named red miso due to its color. The fermentation process takes up a longer duration, from one year to longer.
As for the flavour, it has umami richness with bold flavour. The flavour is much more noticeable and heavy.
Red miso can be used in gravies or stews. Soybeans used in the red miso are steamed at a high temperature rather than boiled.
Thereby amino acids react with sugar resulting in brown color. This conversion of red miso during the maturing phase is known as Millard’s reaction.
Moreover, Koji is used comparatively very low, therefore, to mature completely, it requires a longer span. And a large amount of salt is also needed due to the longer span of the maturing phase.
Additionally, stirring is frequently necessary during the maturing phase. The reason behind stirring frequently is to let the miso expose to air more for faster maturing.
Furthermore, there are different types of red miso. They are typical rice miso, soybean miso, and hatcho miso.
Also, typical rice miso is most common among all the other types.
Main Differences Between White Miso and Red Miso
Miso is one of the common ingredients of Japanese cuisines and has a different types based on combination as well as color. However, they are filled with umami-richness despite being different from each other.
The similarity is there, yet they have their essence. However, the primary ingredients revolve around the same ingredients.
- White Miso is composed of soybeans and rice in balanced quantities. Meanwhile, red miso has a higher concentration of soybeans.
- One of the obvious differences white miso appears to be whitish or pale yellow. In contrast, red miso appears to be reddish.
- White miso takes a short time to ferment, while red miso takes a long time to ferment.
- White miso has a nutty and slightly sweet flavour. On the other hand, red miso has bold flavours.
- White miso doesn’t require stirring during the maturing process. Meanwhile, red miso needs frequent stirring in the maturing process.
- https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf404082a
- https://academic.oup.com/bbb/article-abstract/47/7/1487/5969080
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The detailed explanation regarding the ingredients and fermenting process of White Miso and Red Miso is very informative.
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