Atlantic? source for Katsuobushi (dried smoked bonito shavings for dashi/stock) for Miso Soup

Thank you for the exquisite reply. You are very kind. Really: thanks!

Am finding it difficult to find a domestic (US/Atlantic) source for the blocks, and I'm pretty good with boolean search terms. Gotta love the internet. If it's out there, I'll find it. 

Meanwhile, it looks like I WILL be experimenting. I made some dashi from prawns, yet the taste was a bit 'thin' so to speak. I'll keep my eyes open for the niboshi; excellent point about their size... As for 'various kinds of dried mushrooms', I have been using 3 fresh shiitakes every day. Usually simmered for 20+ minutes. I wonder if the 'dried' aspect has relevance? I suppose I could try some other mushrooms, too. (and will back 'em off to 140 F or so)

I wonder what other caramelized meats I could try? I had a crazy idea of trying some smoked salmon. I remember having some that was "hard smoked" (or was it cold smoked?) that was stored in oil and was so oishi, my Hawaiian classmates would agree: "broke da mouth - good!" Anyway, I am suspecting that the smoked aspect may play an interesting role in the overall taste combo.

As for adding MSG, you're right. I'll pass. I know it's a cousin to glutamic acid, still, in my opinion it really is chemically a different animal. LOVE the info for 140-160. I am so attached to my digital Thermapen, I take it with me for BBQs, family gatherings, pot-lucks, etc. One of the best $85 I ever spent; makes me a cooking genius and has saved many a meal in addition to being a vital tool for weeks-long coffee (and other) experiments.  140-160; got it. I'll try that with my kombu, too. I am currently using Eden Foods kombu because they do test for the nasty isotopes, although I suspect one pound might be OK and the next one have a hot particle or two. I'd prefer none and however impossible that is, well, that's one reason we have miso daily...it's radio-protective, significantly reduces cancer rates, levels blood sugar, [insert laundry list of conditions here]...LOTS of things. I have found a west coast source, and just learned of this one:  http://www.shesellsseaweed.com/  (<--looks promising).

I believe the miso is excellent (Miso Master) since it's organic and aged naturally instead of chemically. I usually make what I call "neopolitan" (like the three-flavored ice cream) by combining barley, red and white in various amounts depending on my mood and the weather (if it's colder I go darker). 

You are right about learning to use what IS available. I understand that miso soup is extremely versatile and can be used with one or more of many combinations....fish, the kelps, vegetable leftovers (not brassicas). Now that we've had miso daily for, well, since March, 2011, and having used the powder and the packaged flake, well, I really would like see what fresh shavings taste like. Some compared it to freshly ground coffee. 

Arigato my tomodachi - you're the best!

Carl

Sir Dr Carl, DC, OCD, ADHD, PTSD, ETC, WTF, OMG, LOL

Alooha kaneohagirl who stay ova d'kine desert place een da arid-kine-zona - lol,

Akamai Kona Haole here... (Went from Hollywwod to the Big Island for high school)

The real answer is probably because I might have a touch of OCD. Other reasoning includes the laundry list of benefits, like 400% reduction in cancer rate is enough all by itself, then there are all the rest, like...well, here's something I wrote:

-------------------------------------------------

During the aftermath of the disaster in Fukushima, one branch of my research on radiation prevention and remediation landed me on the fermented soy product:  miso!

First used 2 or 3 centuries BC, it has been called a "complete food" (protein, minerals, vitamins and more) which one could survive on; many have. It's absolutely delicious.

Long-term studies with large numbers of people suggest this impressive and long list of conditions which may be treated, cured and/or prevented by as little as one bowl of miso soup per day!  (two for cancer and heart disease).   I've always said: eat like a        (diabetic, heart patient, etc.)     to avoid becoming one. Others say "that which treats can prevent."

CONDITIONS:

·   Coronary Heart Disease (#1 cause of death in the US)

·   Breast & other cancers (lung, liver, leukemia, prostate)

·   Radiation sickness (nausea, bloody nose, and more) & resulting cancers

·   Cardio- & Cerebrovascular disease  (dysfunction of blood supply to brain/heart)

·   Dementia

·   Hypertension (high blood pressure)

·   Hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol)

·   Diabetes (blood sugar disorder)

·   Liver cirrhosis (scarring)

·   Peptic ulcers

·   Chronic pain

·   Osteoporosis (weakened bones - especially in non-dairy consumers)

ADDITIONAL USES:

·   Food tenderizer

·   Marinade

·   Salting agent

·   Pickling medium

·   Antacid / digestive aid

·   Anti-oxidant source

·   Immune system enhancer

Side effects:  a sense of well-being and calm...

(compare that to the side-effects from drugs)

Shelf life:  2-10 years (refrigerated)

Get the paste. Better than "instant."

Organic. NEVER Pasteurized.

Slow-aged NOT chemically aged

(If packaged/prepared, be sure it says "freeze-dried")

Try them all, and try them combined half/half - or any combo!

Barley (dark) - Red - White (sweet)

Current favorite:  Was Miso Master Red and Miso Master Barley mixed half-and-half, then it was straight Barley.

This week it's half Red and half White.

Stike that; I've now been on a "neopolitan" kick with some of each in varying proportions.

Avoid all unfermented soy products like soy milk and tofu

(due to adverse hormonal and mineral absorption effects)

I have about 2.5 cups every morning. My sweetie has about 1.5 cups. (total of 4 cup recipe)                 

-------------------------------------------

The main reason is this:  Yum!

I am lucky to work from home (as does my sweetie most days) and I know it's a stupid amount of time, but it's SO delicious! I top the bowls with the scallions we grow...sometimes use our carrots...and I dropped some of our peas in once...oishi! ono kine grines!

It has become extremely difficult to eat out anymore because of what we can wok and because of our ever-growing appreciation for organics.

Don't even get me started about HFCS, HVP, MSG, GMO, ETC.

I, er, we have a profound appreciation for deliciousness...I'd go to the CIA if I weren't nearing 60. Maybe they could teach me how to use my Shun (that my son bought me). 

Aloha no,

Kauka Kala

(Dr Carl)

@ KaneohagirlinAZ....

Tida, er, Kaneohe wahine,

... I read some of your May (go-een home) posts. Oh how I especially miss the ahi sashimi -- and the water! I've a friend who is also as organic as I am (almost 100%) who can't believe I'd still allow spam to enter my body. When I have it (about once every year or two), I like it crispy, but not burnt. The Spam Kabob recipe you mentioned cracks me up. I knew there'd be pineapple involved even before I read it, and it does sound yummy!

Although I do prefer sushi and sashimi to malasadas, your mention of Honokaa sure took me back to Tex's Drive In there. They have a very beautiful garden (one photo I took 10 years ago is attached) as well as planny plate lunch, cone sushi and, of course, malasadas. 

Too bad about your dad's cholesterol. If I had hypercholesterolemia, I'd have TWO bowls of miso soup every day and monitor for a reduction. If effective, miso is much milder than the horrible statin drugs. There are more natural things that can be attempted, IF the patient is willing/smart. He (and everyone) should be reading at least one article a day from Dr. Mercola's site. Look up high cholesterol there.

Nowadays, the ONLY soy I'll eat is that which has been fermented. NO tofu, no pods (edamame), and certainly no soy milk because un-fermented soy is implicated in disrupting hormonal balances and physically blocks the absorption of some important minerals. It is NOT the "health food" it's advertized to be. Endocrinology (hormones) is a very complicated field of study. We don't want to mess with our hormones. We MUST be well-mineralized. 

OK, back to the thrust of this thread. I did get fantastic information from Chris, (up above, below, whatevah). Wow. He nailed my intent and preferences perfectly and gave me what I need to understand and raise my present level of experience.

Aloha

Kauka Kala

@ChrisLehrer

I now have a marks on my electric range that when lined-up, maintains 4 cups of water at 157 degrees F. I am beginning to recognize what that temp looks like too (the quiet formation of teeny bubbles).

Thanks to you, I am learning about the salt/smoke/sea thing and the umami thing. You are a great Sensei.  *bows*

My new routine is to pop 3 fresh shiitakes and a strip of kombu into a pot and let them go for an hour or more. I just saw your post about the dried 'shrooms. OK - I am climbing the ladder of knowledge. My partner/Sweetie agrees that the taste from fresh is not nearly as powerful as when we were using dried. They are back on the list. Costco had a fantastic dried product, but we have not seen it for a while: "Shiitake Ya." Mass shiitakes for a very good price.

I just used the last of my pre-Fukushima stash of bonito powder today. I believe the kombu/shiitake/bonito dashi was improved a little with my new hour-long start. I am looking forward to playing/improvising with other ingredients including the dried shiitakes.

I am also focused on locating niboshi now (and to maybe finding an Atlantic katsuo). I want to experiment with niboshi which I understand are dried baby anchovies, (the Japanese anchovy, or Engraulis japonicus). I am having a hard time finding these. There are dried sardines in the frozen section of our store, but that's a different fish.

Yesterday, my sweetie got us the head from a 25 pound King Salmon (it's fresh) as well as a frozen mackerel. I think she was thinking fish stock. I was too, though I see now that it's like making strongly-flavored lamb stock.  --my sweetie just told me she made a curry-barley-veggie lamb soup using lamb stock, but that "you have to be sure to get all the fat off," and that she would not use it in miso soup, then *made a sour-puss face*. Also see that G. Ramsay has a recipe for lab stock. I suspect the take-home message here is that the taste is powerfully strong and it just needs to be used where it's appropriate. I saw something on YouTube about eating the meat from a baked salmon head since there is some amount of fish flesh to be discovered, uncovered and eaten. Maybe that's where the salmon head is headed - into the heat and then to be eaten. I'll need to figure out what to do with the frozen mackerel, too.

Your replies are SO relevant and informative. I will absolutely look into Zen cookery; or not. (<--that's a Zen joke?). I have no problem learning from radically-vegetarian chefs, and can still with enjoy grass-fed beef, some whisky and a cigar!

Actually, Amazon just sold me "Zen Cookery: Practical Macrobiotics (The Philosophy of Oriental Culture, Vol. 1) (1966)" in good condition for $8 total. Looks interesting. I saw a preview somewhere and will try this "Rolled Oats" recipe:

....................................................

2 cups rolled oats

4 to 5 cups water

¼ to ½ tsp salt

Roast oats until fragrant. Cool. Add 2 cups cold water and salt. Bring

to boil, then add 2 to 3 more cups cold water. Bring to a boil again,

then simmer for one hour or until desired consistency. Stir occasionally.

Serve with sesame salt. This cereal can be cooked the night before or

slowly simmered overnight in a double boiler on a low flame.

......................................................

"Roast oats until fragrant"? That's what caught my attention.

It will be fun to visit the miso soup section.

Relying on kombu is OK with me since I have 3 sources lined up.

I have not roasted bones for a brown stock, yet now I want to. My partner hasn't either. She bought some beef bones intending to, yet never did (tossed the bones after sitting in the freezer for a few years - the bones sat in the freezer, not her). I get it now how smoked salmon is not the same kind of smoky taste I'm after. That was a funny visual about burning fingers in Japan while eating hot clams and hot oysters. I assume they were eating the oysters, not the shells. We grill oysters around here, too, and have good mussels and clams. I'm getting hungry again.

Roasting clam and oyster shells? That means that if I don't go down and collect some oysters at low tide, I'll have to actually buy some and EAT them so that I'll have some shells! Oh, darn!

Am I understanding this idea correctly? --make a stock from clam & oyster shells and some bones from a white fish by following essentially the same routine for making a brown stock from roasted bones:  roast shells and bones in a hot oven, then place in a stock pot, add a quart or so of water, (add mirepoix???), simmer for 4-6 hours skimming-off the impurities as they float and then finally strain it through cheesecloth?

I wonder if I'd use the product straight or dilute it?

Have you ever heard of anyone using shells to make a stock like this?

I'll do some Google-fu later, er, tomorrow. I can see already that there IS a bunch on there about landing the umami flavor. Thanks!

I'll not give up hope and am extremely open-minded; thanks for the encouragement (and the rich info). Using ingredients close to home is one of my eating guidelines I attempt to follow (..."grown at home or locally grown").

As for the disaster over there, maybe the south end of Japan is OK, just maybe. Tokyo is not. There are gag orders on doctors and on the public. The poor children. Find "fairewinds" online and search their site for "Tokyo Soil Samples" and discover how just walking around would make your shoes "hazardous waste" in the US. I had a link, but apparently I am too "new" to share links. If you want more links, let me know. English or Japanese. Honto.   

With the insanity of incinerating contaminated crops and sending isotopes up into the air, the dumping of waste that's glowing into the ocean, the soft-peddling and covering-up that's going on, I am positive that there is a LOT more going on that is not widely known. I won't get into details about the increased iodine-131 and cesium-137 that has entered, is entering, and will continue to enter our northern hemisphere and especially West Coast food chain...and the other nasty isotopes...

You heard about the small example of increased radioactive isotope levels in the bluefin that migrated from Japan to California, right? I think you know about this. The "big fish" you mentioned. How about the iodine levels in the milk in Hawaii? The cesium in Washington? The Isotopes inland from the ocean spray in California? The Ocean plume headed tot he West Coast? The East Coast readings? BTW - raising "acceptable" levels administratively instead of based on science is idiotic. And, ingesting hot particles which lodge and do damage continuously is entirely different from getting a dental x-ray or flying across the country - the ionizing radiation there passes through the body and it's over. Also, not testing for something does not make it magically absent. I suppose they can say, "...increased levels have not been detected"... lol, not. 

Besides moving to Chile, Australia, Tasmania or New Zealand, there are MANY things we can do to reduce our exposure (there is NO "safe level") and to remediate. Rest assured I am not paranoid, though as a member of a team of research scientists and physicians researching prevention and remediation, I may be overly-informed.

Did you know that tobacco that's had a mineral phosphate fertilizer applied will uptake radioactive particles from the soil and air? Now, where's my cigar? lol

Pardon my miniscule rant. I was about to say, Natto? The reason I am having miso every day is not to live forever (that'd be OK, though), it's because of the radio-protective qualities and ALL the other long list of beneficial properties AND the fact that it's SO satisfying and delicious! That I could eat the same thing 14 out of 15 days (with some variations) for this long blows me away. Every day we agree out loud, "yup - that's yummy!" The breakfast concoction sounds interesting, wow, THREE fermented products!....but I'll pass.

There are studies that show the enzyme in natto, nattokinase, can actually dissolve blood clots. This is a big deal because the mainstream allopathic community says "there's nothing that can be done; let your body dissolve them," while they administer fast-acting heparin (Lovenox?) and eventually effective warfarin (Coumadin) anticoagulants. Nattokinase is good for the circulatory system. I prefer the capsules since I have not acquired the taste.

Thank you SO much for exploring all this with me.

Best,

Dr Carl (aka drcarl)

Here's an unrelated shot I took in Hawaii when I lived there a few decades ago...

UPDATE:  I've been doing some experimenting. Every day is a kind of experiment, right?

MOST helpful were the comments on the two things going on; the umami thing, and the salt/smoked sea thing. I have made wonderful dashi with niboshi now, as well as a follow-up dish with the anchovy and kombu leftovers which I froze while collecting enough for the dish: "tsukudani"

Like the real Big Band sounds that used to be popular, I feel like I missed an era and that actually obtaining a brick of (non-radioactive) katsuo will remain a dream.

Niboshi is not always available at my genuinely awesome market. It's Japanese-owned and has an excellent selection of all manners of Asian foods. A recent trip to Florida taught me how lucky we are here on the west coast. I scoured the area for a decent market and found none. These was Whole Foods, but it was an hour away (one-way). My partner and I had visions of opening a "real" market there, but I'm not sure the locals would understand the difference. Transplants and travelers with discriminating tastes would as it's pretty obvious once you know the difference. If I lived there, I'd frequent the local farmer's market and I'd befriend some farmers and ranchers, too. I have seen ONE market that scored higher marks than our local store. If you are of the organic persuasion and find yourself in Missoula, Montana (of all places), check out the Good Foods Store. OMG. 'Nuff said.

OK, back to dashi. Without niboshi, I have tried tossing a few frozen shrimp into a pan of water. When they come to a boil, they are essentially ready for a cold bath and then slicing into little bits. I know I am missing the smoke thing...sure tastes good. I also have been making shiitake/kombu umame dashi cubes. After the hour at about 150 degrees, I slice the shrooms into smaller bits and make little squares out of the kombu. I reserve the kombu and fill three ice trays with kombu shroomame and mushroom bits. I make enough for 6 days. 

When it's miso time, I drop 6 cubes onto a pan and bring the water level up to a mark I've made on a chopstick-dipstick (4 Cups). As the dashi heats I add some wakame to the dashi and cook the shrimps in a separate pan. Shrimp water gets 'skimmed' and goes into the dashi. I make some "glass noodles" in advance. These sweet potato starch noodles join the shrimp, some kombu, the wakame, the mushroom pieces and some nori in my miso bowls. All that's left is whisking the miso (I use barley and red) and adding it back to the dashi...after harvesting a couple spring onion tops from the yard or windowsill, I ring a little counter bell and we eat! YUMMY!

What I am understanding now, thanks you your suggestions and tutoring is that I am not making miso soup...I am making a soup (dashi) and adding miso to it!

Best,

drcarl