I've been working like a crazy person lately. Cooking, doing dishes, taking photographs, editing recipes...and yet I make it to 2pm without having eaten a single bite of food. It goes something like this: work, work, work, work, forget to eat, work, work, CRASH.
Yes, that's about right.
In order to avoid this afternoon down-slide, I've been trying to put out healthy things to munch on. This creamy miso dip has been perfection. Shiro (white) miso, the mildest miso paste, is mixed with Kewpie mayonnaise. If you've never tried Kewpie mayonnaise you should probably get on that. Now. Go ahead and run to the nearest Asian grocery store. I'll wait.
Ready to continue? Good.
Kewpie mayonnaise is popular in Japan. The flavor is different from the mayonnaise we buy here thanks to ingredients famous for adding umami to dishes. In Japan it is used on anything from yakisoba to pizza. Here, I've used it in a more familiar way that I learned from a Japanese friend. She made this dip for my baby shower and I absolutely fell in love with it.
You don't have to make much of this dip because it is so full of wonderful flavor. The only tip my friend gave me when I asked her for the recipe was that you have to experiment with the amount of Kewpie and miso to determine the balance of flavors you prefer. I like to add a touch of light soy sauce to my dip as well, but you can add anything from chopped scallions to sesame oil or toasted sesame seeds. It's a great blank canvas.
Creamy Miso Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons shiro miso
- 1/3 cup Kewpie mayo
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir vigorously until smooth. Serve with fresh vegetables like carrots, sugar snap peas, celery and radishes.
Notes
If you don't have access to Kewpie mayonnaise, take 1/3 cup regular mayonnaise and add 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, and a pinch of garlic powder. Stir to combine and use as directed in the recipe creamy miso dip.