Miso Sauce

Miso (fermented soy bean sauce) is often used in both cold and hot Japanese sauces. Miso is often combined with mirin or sugar to provide a sweet relief to miso’s strong saltiness. Sweetened miso combined with toasted and ground sesame seeds is a popular sauce for cold vegetables such as asparagus, string beans, or okra. Miso sauce can also be used as a dipping sauce for hot steamed or boiled vegetables. Don’t use salt anywhere else in a dish served with miso—miso sauce is very salty.