Breakfast
Miso Scrambled Eggs with Corn and Shallots
Serves 2
Ingredients
1.5 Tbsp sweet red miso paste
4 eggs
Dash of light soy [roughly 1/2 tbsp]
2 spring onions [green shallots] finely sliced all the way to the end [green part]. Reserve half for garnish
1 small knob of ginger, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
1 large red chilli, seeds removed, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
30 g butter
1 cob sweet corn, grated, all juices kept
salt and pepper to taste
Options to serve
1 bunch asparagus [blanched]
½ punnet of cherry tomatoes [roasted]
Coriander leaves
Toast or rice
Method
Crack eggs into a bowl, lightly season with light soy and whisk with a fork. Set aside.
Using a non-stick frying pan, melt butter over a medium-high heat adding half of the spring onions, ginger, garlic and half the chilli. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add the sweetcorn and cook for a further minute.
Add the miso to the corn mixture and sauté for 1 minute. Turn the heat to medium, add the eggs to the pan and stir slowly with a wooden spoon or spatula, combing all the ingredients. Keep the pan over medium heat and as the egg begins to set on the bottom, lift the eggs from the edge of the pan to the middle to create folds. Eggs are ready when they look silky and slightly runny - they continue to cook a little after you’ve removed them from the heat.
Serve eggs over toast or rice with the chilli, shallot and coriander, as well as optional extra’s.
Chef’s notes
Miso
Miso makes a wonderful marinade.I It goes well with both fish and red meat. Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning made primarily from fermented soybeans and usually includes rice or barley. They are steamed, mixed with koji (a fermentation starter), and left to ferment for 6 months to 5 years. Miso comes in a wide variety of smooth to chunky and light to dark or red.
White or light miso (sometimes called sweet miso) can be light beige to yellow in colour and tends to be lighter and sweeter in flavour thanks to a shorter fermentation time and is better for light dressings and sweets.
Red or dark miso ranges in colour from light brown to almost black and is fermented for longer for a stronger, funkier, and saltier flavour. Generally, the darker the colour, the stronger the taste and is best used for long braises and stews..
Miso is a fermented paste that adds a salty umami flavor. It is a paste and can be mixed into sauces, dressings, batters, and soups. It can be eaten cooked or raw. Since miso is a cultured food, it's best to add it at the end of cooking, being careful not to boil dishes such as miso soup as too much heat will kill the active bacteria in the miso, reducing its health benefits.
Nutritional benefits
Miso provides protein and is rich in vitamins K and B-group and minerals manganese, copper and zinc as well as calcium, iron, magnesium and minerals. It is a fermented condiment that consist of a thick paste made from soybeans and can vary in variety and colour. It can improve your digestion, as it contains a probiotic strain that’s aids digestion. However, miso is high in salt.