Garlic Miso – Fermenting Made Easy
Garlic Miso is as simple and delicious as it sounds. It can be made in a few minutes and enjoyed for months. The miso is infused with garlic flavor and garlic cloves are infused with that of the miso. The Japanese name for this process is Ninniku Miso-Zuke which means garlic preserved in miso.
If you’re new to fermenting, this is the easiest recipe I can think of to start with. It doesn’t require a lot of knowledge, equipment or any special techniques.
What Is Miso?
Miso (pronounced Mee-so) is a traditional Japanese ferment that is most commonly known as a soup served at Japanese restaurants. It’s also best known for its rich, umami (very savory) flavor. Miso is usually made by combining mashed soybeans, with salt, water, a grain and the mould Aspergillus oryzae. The grain (often rice or barley) is first inoculated with A. oryzae to form a fermented product called koji. The koji is then mixed with the soybeans and salt, and depending on the miso being made – is left to ferment anywhere from weeks to years. Occasionally other ingredients may also be added or other legumes like chickpeas or adzuki beans may be substituted for the soy.
How To Use Miso
There are lots of different ways to use miso. Soup is of course the most well known, but it’s also great in a miso dressing, sauces, marinades and various other pickles. I also just like spreading it on toast.
Is There Just One Kind Of Miso?
No. There are several that range in colour, texture and flavor. There are some that are quite pale and sweet (young) and those that are very dark and salty (longer aged). Colors range from pale yellow (known as white) to a very dark brown almost black. Texture can range from very smooth to chunky too. When buying miso, you really want to consider what you’re going to use it for. Do you want a rich, dark and salty miso to add to a summer salad dressing? Probably not but it would be perfect as a marinade for meats. When shopping, you’re likely to see:
White miso
Shiro (white rice) miso – made with white rice koji. This is a young miso, fermented for a short period of time. It’s much less salty and much more sweet than red miso varieties. This makes it extremely versatile and great to use in things like dressings and sauces. It’s also great as a soup.
There are many varieties that fall under this name. They are reddish or dark brown to black in color, fermented for a longer period, much heartier and saltier. Red miso might be labelled by some brands as just that, red miso. Others will label each variety, which may include:
– Mugi (barley) miso – made with barley koji. This has a very distinct barley smell and is the most mild of all the red miso’s. It’s also slightly sweet and it contains gluten.
– Genmai (brown rice) miso – made with brown rice koji. This is mellow with a small amount of sweetness. It’s definitely heading into heartier/saltier miso territory though. This is more your everyday all-rounder miso so I think if you’re going to choose just one this would be it. It’s certainly my pick for miso soups too. It’s most often Genmai miso that you’re buying if (as per the miso in my pics) you buy a ‘red miso’.
– Hatcho (soybean) miso – made with soybean only. This is usually aged for many years making it very dark in colour. Additionally, it’s quite pungent and can have (but not always) a chunkier texture. The heartiness makes it a miso most suited to those who live in a very cold climate.
How To Make Garlic Fermented In Miso
The recipe is outlined in full below but in essence, making miso fermented garlic really only requires two steps on repeat.
STEP ONE – Add a base miso layer to your jar.
STEP TWO – Add a garlic layer (see pic below) then repeat steps 1 and 2 until the jar is full. Make sure you have about 2cm of headroom left when you’re finished. Also, ensure that miso is your last layer and that you wipe the rim of the jar clean before putting the lid on.
That’s it! Once that’s done all you need to do is find a bit of patience because you’re going to have to wait about one month (more if you can!) until you tuck in. If you’ve tried this let me know what you think in the comments.
If you’re also looking for other ways to use raw garlic, have a look at my chimichurri sauce recipe. I’ve used fermented garlic in it before and it adds so much extra flavour.
More Fermenting And Preserving Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
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Miso Fermented Garlic
Equipment
- 1 Glass jar
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 lb red miso (I use either Carwari Red Miso or Spiral Genmai Miso) (500g)
- 1 head garlic, all cloves peeled
Instructions
- Add roughly ¾ inch/2cm of miso paste to the base of a VERY clean glass jar (mine was 16oz / 480ml)
- Now add a few garlic cloves and just gently push them into the miso so they’re snug. Try and avoid letting them touch so how many you add will be dependent on the size of your jar. Three was perfect for me
- Add another ¾ inch/2cm of miso to cover the garlic and try and get out as many air bubbles around the sides as you can (not always achievable!)
- Next add another lot of garlic as you did above. Keep repeating the steps of a miso layer, followed by a garlic layer, then a miso layer etc. until you have about ¾ inch/2cm left at the top of the jar. It was about five layers for me. Remember to try and keep the air bubbles out as you go. The most important thing though, is making sure all the garlic is covered and none can be seen around the edges of the jar
- That’s it! Leave the jar on the kitchen bench out of the sun for three to five days to ferment. Transfer to the fridge and leave to ferment for at least another month or even two if you can wait
- Once ready you’ll have a jar full of garlic infused miso and miso infused garlic. What a combo! See extra notes below on how you might use it.
I just tried making the garlic miso and it was so simple yet incredibly rewarding! The flavors are rich and the fermentation process was fascinating—I’ll definitely be experimenting with this more!
It’s such a simple ferment to make. And I love that you end up with each ingredient infusing the other. So glad you enjoyed it.
I made this garlic miso a few months ago and used some to make a fish and rice dish last night. It was so tasty. Yum!
That would have been delicious Paula! A great way to use it.
As a garlic girl, this simple recipe totally elevated the humble miso. Thanks for the idea!
My pleasure Sharon!
This Garlic Miso recipe is fantastic! The flavors are rich and savory, making it a perfect addition to many dishes. Simple to make and so delicious. Thanks for sharing!
It really does go with so many things. So pleased to hear you’ve enjoyed it Heather.
do you burp the jar every so often like when fermenting with honey?
Hi Gary – no it’s not needed with this one. The miso smothers the garlic and the need for burping. You can open the lid and check on it if you find it getting very bubbly but it’s generally not necessary.
wouldn’t the garlic kill the probiotics in the miso?
Not at all! Garlic is a prebiotic, which in turn will feed the probiotic bacteria in the miso. They work in unison.
Hi, thanks for this recipe. Is it possible to make this recipe with pasteurised miso ?
Hi Pascal – using pasteurised miso would cure the garlic for you, but it wouldn’t ferment it given all the microbes we rely on to do that for us have been killed off in the heating process. If an unpasteurised miso is available to you I’d definitely suggest going with that.
ok. thanks a lot !