White Miso (Shiro-miso)

White miso uses 1.5 to 2 times more rice koji than soybeans and ages only days to weeks. Soybeans are boiled and the cooking liquid discarded to reduce amino acids and prevent Maillard browning, keeping the color pale and sweetness prominent. Salt content is low at 5-7 percent. Kyoto's Saikyo miso is the representative variety, used in ozoni and dressed dishes. The concentrated sweetness of rice koji within a brief aging period symbolizes miso's diversity. With strong sweetness and low salt, it is even used as an ingredient in Japanese confections. White miso expanded miso's possibilities in a sweet direction, overturning the preconception that miso must be salty.