Storing the Miso

Obachan just called me over to teach me how to store the miso properly. We cleaned out containers (some are tupperware-like plastic and some are ceramic pots) and placed some salt in the bottom. Then we kneaded the miso into large clumps (to break up the sausage shape) and dropped it into the container and pressed it down firmly to expel all of the air. It was like punching clay with your fist. It's important to remove all the air so that bad bacteria don't grow and spoil the batch. Once the container was full, we carefully smoothed over the top,sprinkled additional salt and covered it tightly with waxed paper and put a lid on the container.

After about 6 weeks, we can taste it. This family will eat it at that early stage or you can wait until it turns a nice golden yellow after 12 weeks or so. Every time we remove some to eat out of the large container, we have to press the waxed paper down firmly to keep the air out. I'm storing our 13 kg container under the stairs. Obachan's house has a misobeya or miso room, actually like a root cellar. It's a room off the kitchen that has a soil floor where food remains at a constant and cool temperature. Some homes have a unit installed between the floorboards in the kitchen so the food benefits from the cool air of the crawl space under the house.

She also shared her supply of 4 year old miso. It seems that this was a special treat and big sister appeared rather miffed that I was being let it on the family treasure. It is black and rather soupy, kind of sweet and smooth - well fermented. This will be good for dengaku or making pickles. Since we usually don't finish eating an entire batch of miso in a year, the previous years are set aside for darker miso and certain dishes that require a stronger taste.

She had me running in circles. Obachan speaks Kumamoto-ben, the local dialect, with very few proper verbs in her sentences. It is kind of a mind-reading game. I follow her gestures and try to anticipate what the heck she's talking about and I'm pretty good about guessing. She knows I will do whatever she asks me to do and I'm willing to help but sometimes I am so clueless.

Big sister watched over the scene, left out of her mother's lessons. I'm pretty sure she's getting worried that I am learning all the family secrets. She had her chances - and if I rule the roost, she won't have many more.

We're hanging a cupboard, rewiring the bedroom for an a/c unit upstairs for next summer and shelling chestnuts.