3 Must-Try Japanese Condiments for Miso Soup
As you know, plain white rice and miso soup are the staple food of the Japanese and in fact most of us eat some kind of miso soup almost every day with steamed plain rice.
However, those who want stimulation and kicks have been tired of that combination, so they love to add something flavorful or spicy to the Japanese brown soup.
3 Japanese Condiments to Spice Up Miso Soup
Actually, I’m among them. I like adding some condiment to a bowl of miso soup to spice it up, which results in stimulating my appetite and warming my body.
That is why today I will introduce my recommended Japanese condiments to make miso soup a bit spicy and more flavorful, specifically, 1 relatively new and 2 traditional Japanese condiments.
1. Kanzuri (かんずり)
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Kanzuri Paste |
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Amazon.com |
Kanzuri is a spicy, pungent condiment that has been becoming popular in recent years in Japan. It is a seasoning paste made by fermenting and aging the mixture of red chili pepper, citrus fruit called Yuzu, malted rice, and salt. The Kanzuri paste is favored by professional Japanese chefs, and with a little amount of it miso soup can get a distinctive flavorful taste.
2. Yuzu Kosho (柚子胡椒)
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S&B Yuzu Kosho Citrus Pepper Paste |
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Amazon.com |
Yuzu Kosho is a traditional Japanese condiment known as citrus pepper paste, and made from Yuzu citrus peel, salt, red chili pepper or green chilies, almost the same ingredients as Kanzuri paste. But Yuzu Kosho is pretty different in taste from Kanzuri. In general, the one made with red chili pepper is rich in flavor, while the one made with green chilies is strong in spiciness.
3. Shichimi Togarashi (七味唐辛子)
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House Shichimi Togarashi |
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Amazon.com |
Shichimi Togarashi is a traditional Japanese condiment consisting of finely ground red chili pepper and 6 other aromatic spices, which is known as an essential condiment for Soba and Udon noodle soups. It is one of the condiments most commonly used by Japanese people and goes well with almost any kind of miso soup as well as Udon and Soba.