Saikyo Shiromiso (西京白味噌) is a specialty of Kyoto, and is what’s used to give Kyoto’s miso soup its unique flavor and texture. In Japan, this style of miso is often just referred to as “shiromiso”, which literally translates to white miso, but it’s important to note that this is not the same as “white miso” sold in the US. Miso marketed in the US as “white miso” is often tanshoku miso, which is a separate category that’s aged longer, not as sweet and with double the salinity. Saikyo shiromiso is a pale lemon yellow in hue, with a smooth creamy texture and mild sweet flavor. Because it’s made with twice the amount of rice koji and one third of the salt of other miso, it’s sweeter and far less salty than other kinds of miso. It’s also fermented for a much shorter time than regular miso before being strained, which gives it a delicate nutty flavor and rich texture. For our Tonjiru, the low-sodium content means you can add significantly more miso to the soup, giving it a marvelously rich texture and full-bodied taste that’s almost like a New England-style clam chowder. Since spring seems to be taking it’s sweet time to arrive this year, this Tonjiru is exactly the kind of thing I’m craving on a cold drizzly day like today. If you substitute in a different type of miso, be sure to cut the amount you add to the Tonjiru appropriately (I’d probably start with ¼ cup and work my way up to ⅓ if that’s not enough).
📖 Recipe
