Yamauchi Honten Maboroshi no Miso Rice & Barley Blend (山内本店 まぼろしの味噌 米麦あわせ)
The story behind it
Founded in 1751. The brewery began in the castle town of Kumamoto and moved to Kikuyo in 1970 in search of its brewing water. It has been making miso and shoyu (soy sauce) for 275 years.
Maboroshi no Miso is the work of Nagata Tomihiro, certified as a Contemporary Master Craftsman. It is brewed from Japanese soybeans, barley and rice, salt, and groundwater from Aso. Nothing is added.
This rice-and-barley blend combines the sweetness of rice with the savory depth of barley. It is medium-sweet in the Kyushu manner, but the sweetness does not push forward, so the flavor holds its shape when you pair it with dashi.
Kumamoto has its own food culture, including the use of akazake in cooking. The miso, too, comes out of this region's water and grain.
How to use it
Use it for miso soup of any kind. It shows what it can do in soups full of ingredients, such as dago-jiru or tonjiru. Also good in a miso stir-fry with eggplant, or spread straight on cucumber.