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Hoba miso
朴葉味噌 (hoba miso): sweet miso with leek and mushrooms, grilled on a dried magnolia leaf
In the old mountain town of Takayama, in Gifu's Hida region, inns serve breakfast with a small charcoal brazier on the table and a dried magnolia leaf, hoba, resting on its grill. On it sits a mound of miso mixed with leek and mushrooms. As the leaf warms, the miso bubbles and gives off a smoky, woodsy smell, and you scoop it up with rice. It started as farmhouse winter food, when people toasted frozen pickles on leaves to thaw them. Dried hoba leaves are sold in Japanese shops and online; a sheet of baking paper works too, without the scent. Chef's tip: soak the leaf in water first. A damp leaf scorches slowly and perfumes the miso instead of catching fire.
- Total time
- 23 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the miso
For the topping
To serve
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak 2 dried hoba (magnolia) leaves in cold water for 10–15 minutes, then wipe dry. It should feel supple, not brittle.
15 minStep 2: Mix 3 tbsp medium or red miso, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp mirin and 1 tsp sake into a smooth, thick paste.
Step 3: Lay a leaf on a small tabletop grill, a fish grill, or a wire rack set over a gas ring on low heat. Spread half the miso in a circle in the middle and pile half of 1 Japanese leek (negi) or spring onions, 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms and 1 ¾ oz shimeji mushrooms around it. Repeat with the second leaf.
1 minStep 4: Grill over low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring the miso into the vegetables with chopsticks as it heats. It's ready when the miso bubbles at the edges, smells toasty and the mushrooms have wilted.
7 minStep 5: Common mistake: high heat. The leaf scorches and the miso burns bitter before the mushrooms cook. If the leaf starts to smoke hard, lift it off the heat for a moment.
Step 6: Serve the leaves straight from the grill with bowls of 14 oz cooked Japanese short-grain rice and 1 ¾ oz Japanese pickles, scooping small amounts of miso onto each mouthful.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hoba miso take?
- About 23 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 8 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of mirin?
- Rice vinegar with ½ tsp sugar per tbsp.
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