Miso

This slight riff on traditional miso soup is your shortcut to a flavorful, bone-warming snack when you need it most. Just pack a thermos with veggies, tofu, and miso in the morning, and when hunger comes knocking, all you need is a cupful of hot water and a couple of minutes. (Using homemade dashi instead of water, or adding instant dashi powder, brings it to the next level.)

The active cultures in kimchi and miso may also provide your body with an immunity boost. This recipe can also easily be halved.

Flip the script on a winter vegetable that’s usually stewed: Collards are great when briefly sautéed.

“Coating sweet grilled corn with miso butter brings nutty flavor to a classic.” –Brad Leone, test kitchen manager

Miso and hot pepper paste are at the root of every ssam sauce, but no two household’s are the same. This version comes from Mott St’s Edward Kim; tweak it to your liking.

White miso pumps up the flavor in an Asian-inspired chicken soup.

If the vibrancy of this dressing fades, perk it back up with more lime juice.

This salad’s secret? Combining raw and roasted beets delivers two textures from one ingredient.

A roundup of umami-packed recipes using ingredients like miso, parmesan, kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms, and tomatoes.

Umami-loaded ingredients (tofu and miso) make this the most addictive ranch ever.

A clean, well-oiled grate makes grilling tomatoes a cinch.

At home, chef Gregory Vernick (Vernick Food & Drink, Philadelphia) always keeps miso on hand for an umami blast in everything from braises and mayo to this Asian-leaning chicken soup. You won’t believe how much depth it adds to canned broth.

Serve this rich, glazed eggplant as a starter, or with rice and a simply prepared piece of fish for a main course.

The miso marinade lightly cures the fish, which results in a pleasantly firm texture and great flavor.

It's not just for soup anymore

Drizzle this gingery-sweet beauty over crisp lettuces, avocado, grain salads, or grilled tofu.