# Miso Horny **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miso-horny/519156 "2009-11-27T18:54:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miso-horny/519156/1 "2009-11-27T18:54:58Z")
And miso frustrated. What type of miso do they use in Japanese restaurants? When I make miso soup at home, it always has a funny, indescribable ‘off’ taste. The miso soup I get at local sushi bars always has a wonderful brothy/umami flavor that I just can’t seem to duplicate. I figure the off taste must be due to the type of miso that I’m using, since different types produce varying degrees of it. Shiro is the worst. It tastes downright repugnant to me—it tastes sort of like Vegemite. What am I doing wrong? I always use the Eden brand, because that’s the only one I can find locally. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miso-horny/519156/2 "2009-11-27T19:24:15Z")
What are you using for broth? ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miso-horny/519156/3 "2009-11-27T19:31:30Z")
Just water. Actually, I meant to say just a weak dashi made from soaking a piece of kombu for half an hour in the soup water. No bonito flakes. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miso-horny/519156/4 "2009-11-27T19:56:02Z")
What _quality_ water are you using? Are you using fresh miso, instant soup mix packets, or what? I’ve been satisfied with the soup packets I used to get from an Asian grocery, and I was using New Jersey tap water (don’t ask) that was Brita-filtered. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miso-horny/519156/5 "2009-11-27T20:23:00Z")
I use fresh miso, but the packets have the taste that I’m trying to duplicate. As for the water, just tap. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miso-horny/519156/6 "2009-11-27T23:29:16Z")
you need the bonito for the umami, and a textural thing, it isnt just fishy taste.