Chef Willy Eick from Mission Ave Bar and Grill in Oceanside, CA is always experimenting with different flavors and techniques, and this was an experiment he came up with that sounded crazy but turned out very delicious. You can make miso from so many different grains and nuts and the basic recipe is very simple.
This banana cashew miso sounds like an odd combination but it had a well balanced fruity and slightly nutty umami. It wasn’t salty at all, but it had tons of depth of flavor. He put it on black cod nigiri, and he thought it would pair well with a white wine like a riesling or silvaner.
Recipe:
250g of Cashews
1 banana
125g of koji grains
18g of salt
250g water
Toast cashews in a hot dry pan. Blend cashews, koji grains, salt and water until smooth. There are many brands of Koji you can use, but Miyako Koji is a really good one to use.
Transfer the mixture to a container and tap on counter to get rid of air bubbles so it ferments evenly. Cover the container with a muslin cloth or coffee filter and secure with a string and leave it in a warm place to ferment – the warmer it is the quicker it will ferment. 25 degree C takes around 5 days. Taste after 5 days – if you are happy with the flavor, then store in fridge to stop the fermentation process. You can continue fermenting as long as you like – the best misos are left to age for years.
