As the nights draw darker and colder, most of us turn to more hearty food to warm us through. Whether you prefer a good soup, pie or stew, there’s no reason why winter food has to be dull! We have lots of fantastic recipes to help you achieve exciting flavour this winter, so let the fire of fresh wasabi and these unctuous umami-filled ingredients warm you up:
The Ultimate Miso Soup
A truly classic but simple Japanese recipe, our perfect miso soup uses flavours of miso, kombu and shiitake to produce a rich and tasty broth that can be adapted to suit your tastebuds. All you have to do is:
– Heat 10g of kombu in 500ml water, don’t let it boil. Once it reaches 85°C let it stand for 10 mins to infuse before removing the kombu (which can be re-used!)
– Thinly slice a few re-hydrated shiitake mushrooms, a spring onion and any other flavours you wish to include – tofu is very popular, for example, but you can also add meat and noodles for a more substantial meal. Add these to the broth.
– Return the soup to heat and simmer gently before adding 1tbsp miso paste to the pot.
– Finish with any extra flavour! Remember, miso is already salty, so best to avoid adding any more but a good pinch of togarashi shichimi is our favourite way to finish a miso soup!
Tim Anderson's Spicy Pickled Pak Choi
Pack a serious punch of flavour to your food with Tim’s spicy pickle recipe – using fresh wasabi, it creates a delicious heat that is sure to keep you toasty!
– Massage some salt into pak choi and leave to wilt for about 20 minutes before squeezing it to wring out as much liquid as you can (save the liquid!). Wait another 20 minutes, then wring out the liquid once again.
– Mix garlic, chilli powder, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sugar, sesame oil, fresh wasabi and MSG. Pack everything tightly into a sterilised jar, so the liquid rises above the surface of the pak choi (it needs to be completely submerged in order to prevent spoilage).
– Put the lid on the jar, but don’t screw it on tightly, to let carbon dioxide escape as it ferments. Leave at room temperature for at least three days and up to a week, or possibly longer if you like very sour pickles or if your kitchen is on the cold side.
These will keep in the refrigerator for up to a year!
See The Full Recipe
White Soy Caramel Brownies
You might not think to add soy sauce to a dessert recipe, but trust us on this one… it works! Make your own soy sauce caramel before drizzling it over a gooey brownie:
– Melt together 170g brown sugar with 65g butter over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
– Add 4tbsp white soy sauce, 3tbsp milk and 1tbsp vanilla extract and bring to a boil.
– Boil for 3-5 minutes until it thickens up and set aside in a jug.