Blended Miso (Awase-miso)
Blended miso (Awase-miso)
Japanese: 合わせ味噌
A blend of different types of miso. Combining red and white, rice and barley, and others broadens the flavor range.
Awase-miso blends misos with different characteristics to achieve flavor balance unattainable from a single type. Adding white miso's sweetness to red miso's richness, or combining rice miso with barley miso for aromatic variation. Each household develops its own preferred ratio—its 'house flavor.' The freedom to fine-tune miso soup is awase-miso's appeal. In the world of miso there is no single right answer, and that combinatorial freedom is itself culinary richness. When making miso soup, simply blending two or more types broadens the flavor range. Because there is no right answer, the joy lies in finding your own blend. Awase-miso is an entry point to actively participating in the world of miso.