3 Japanese Condiments that Spice Up Miso Soup
As you know, plain white rice and miso soup are the staple food of the Japanese. Hence, most of us eat miso soup almost everyday along with steamed plain rice.
However, this tires those who want stimulation and kicks, so they love to add something flavorful or spicy to the Japanese soup.
Actually, I’m one of them. I like adding some condiment in order to spice up miso soup. As a result, doing that stimulates the appetite and warms the body.
3 Japanese Condiments that Spice Up Miso Soup
Therefore, today I want to introduce 3 Japanese condiments that spice up miso soup, specifically, 1 relatively new and 2 traditional Japanese condiments.
1. Kanzuri (かんずり)
 Image : niigata-ryokan.or.jp |
Kanzuri Paste |
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| Amazon.co.jp |
As I wrote about it before, Kanzuri is a spicy pungent paste that has been becoming popular in recent years in Japan. Some famous Japanese restaurant and hotel chefs already use the paste as a secret ingredient.
It is a seasoning paste made by fermenting and aging the mixture of red chili pepper, Yuzu citrus, malted rice, and salt. Adding the paste as a condiment makes miso soup flavorful and a little bit spicy.
2. Yuzu Kosho (柚子胡椒)
 Image : cookpad.com |
S&B Yuzu Kosho (Citrus Pepper) |
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| Amazon.com |
Yuzu Kosho is a Japanese condiment known as citrus pepper paste. It is commonly used in the Japan’s Kyushu region. Like Kanzuri paste, Yuzu Kosho can be used in various ways as I wrote about it before.
The Japanese condiment is made with Yuzu citrus peel, red chili pepper or green chilies, and salt. The ingredients of Yuzu Kosho are almost the same as those of Kanzuri, but Yuzu Kosho is an aged food.
If you put a dash of Yuzu Kosho in miso soup, that imparts a fragrant flavor and a little bit of kick to the soup and spices it up.
3. Shichimi Togarashi (七味唐辛子)
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House Shichimi Togarashi |
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I think Shichimi Togarashi is the most famous Japanese condiment among these 3. As you may know, the traditional 7 spice blend is the essential condiment for Soba and Udon noodles.
As a matter of fact, if you have a chance to go to Japanese Soba restaurants, you will surely see a can or bottle of Shichimi Togarashi placed on each table.
I love to eat miso soup with the aromatic 7 spice blend. It matches well with almost any kind of miso soup and makes the soup a little bit spicy and aromatic.
