Overnight Miso Porridge
The oats don't look all that promising in their raw form. Hamster pellets, anyone?
This recipe starts simply: just water and oats.
Once they've simmered for 5 minutes, linzarella has you cool them down a bit.
Amanda uses the finger test.
Not all miso is created equal For this recipe, you should look for sweet white miso.
Amanda scoops out a cupful of the oats while Merrill looks at her askance.
In goes the miso for a savory-sweet touch.
Somewhat like tempering eggs, you then mix the small bowl of miso oats back into the rest of the oats. Then you cover the pot and wait until morning!
The next day, once you've re-warmed the oatmeal, you add just the tiniest hint of butter.
Butter and honey make good friends.
We have a little visitor watching our every move to make sure we get this recipe done right!
The final touch is a sprinkling of toasted walnuts (which we forgot to toast -- it was not tragic).
Author Notes: Miso might seem like a strange addition to porridge, but it actually makes sense on a lot of levels. For one thing, miso soup is often eaten for breakfast in Japan. For another, letting the miso sit in the oats overnight pre-digests some of their starch, making them taste sweeter. The subtle miso flavor brings oats to a whole new level of comfort food. —linzarella
Food52 Review: With just the right balance of savory and sweet, linzarella's miso-infused oatmeal is both comfortingly familiar and completely unconventional. The earthy tang of the miso is a surprising complement to the hearty steel cut oats; the flavors are rounded out with a large knob of butter and a spoonful of honey. The technique couldn't be easier: you simmer the oats briefly in water, add the miso and go to bed. In the morning, you just reheat and add the butter and honey. This porridge is somewhat loose -- if you prefer it less so, simmer it for a few minutes longer either before you add the miso, or while you're reheating it. - A&M —The Editors
Serves 2
- 1/2 cup steel cut oats
- 2 cups water
- 1-2 tablespoons sweet white miso paste
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
- 1 handful toasted walnuts, chopped
- In a medium saucepan, combine the oats and the water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover the pot.
- When they are cool enough to hold your finger in the pot for 10 seconds, spoon 1/4 cup of oats into a small bowl. Add the miso to the bowl and stir well to combine. Pour the miso-oat mixture back into the saucepan and stir to combine. Leave overnight.
- In the morning, heat the oats gently until steaming but not boiling. Stir in honey, butter, and walnuts before serving.
- Your Best Porridge Contest Finalist!
More Great Recipes: Breakfast & Brunch|Rice & Grains|Breakfast
over 1 year ago Maura
Flavor is great, but water to oats ratio is off- it's much more soupy than porridge-y. Would use about half the amount of water listed.
over 1 year ago Merrin Ruck
I have never seen "sweet" white miso. I have seen white miso. Is there a difference. This could be my new breakfast!
over 1 year ago linzarella
Hi Merrin, "sweet white miso" is the same thing as "white miso." I hope you like it!
about 3 years ago i.m.
Sounds yummy - would it work with buckwheat or another gluten free porridge?
about 3 years ago linzarella
yes, I'm sure it would work well with any grain.
over 3 years ago Ascender
Brilliant recipe. I've made overnight steel cut oats for ages, but adding the miso is a lovely variant. I suspect that the miso improves digestibility of the oats as well as assimilation of the nutrients.
I also like the care you used to make sure not to pasteurize the miso by adding it when the oats are too warm or over-heating the cereal in the morning. Probiotics are our friends and miso is rich in them.
over 4 years ago sjgoldman
I made this a few weeks ago; really delicious (though I had to work with regular oats instead of steel-cut).
Any thoughts on how to add more protein instead of nuts to it? (I tend to function better w/eggs or other protein in the morning, and tons of soy, beyond a little miso or soy sauce, doesn't agree with me.)
over 4 years ago linzarella
You could take it in a more savory direction, adding a poached or fried egg, and drizzling on some sesame oil instead of the honey. Or you could add pumpkin seeds, although if you didn't want to add nuts you probably don't want to add seeds either.
over 4 years ago deanna1001
Tried this and love the flavor, but it was really soupy. I simmered it last night for 10 minutes based on the review, but not enough I guess. Will try again and perhaps cook while stirring for more like 15 minutes the night before...
over 4 years ago linzarella
Since posting this recipe a while ago, I've changed my technique somewhat, and the result is a lot thicker. The night before, I bring the oats and water to a boil, then cook, uncovered, at a simmer for 10 or 20 minutes. Then I proceed with the recipe as posted. Hope this helps!
over 4 years ago deanna1001
Sounds promising. I'll give it a whirl...thanks.
almost 5 years ago marynn
My Daylight Standard Time November Sunday morning breakfast. Superb!
about 5 years ago frydelsu
Very interesting! I will have to try this for sure.
over 6 years ago dannyboy
this... THIS is the kind of hearty and healthy but clever, anti-lame food that makes me tingle.
over 6 years ago NakedBeet
I love this combination and I'll definitely have to try this overnight method now.
over 6 years ago braiseandbutter
I am COMPLETELY intrigued by this. i love my steel cut oats but have been a bit bored with my formula lately. thanks for this!
over 6 years ago linzarella
Mrslarkin, you should definitely try it again with the sweet white miso paste. I once made the mistake of using the darker stuff, and it was definitely not my thing.
over 6 years ago mrslarkin
I will! I'm going to look for it tomorrow.
over 6 years ago mrslarkin
Okay! I got sweet white miso. So much better! Still an acquired savory taste, but I'll make it again for sure. The flavor of this miso reminds me of Parmigiano. Maybe I'll stick some into my risotto next time!
over 6 years ago linzarella
Ooh, risotto! That is such a cool idea. If you try it, let me know how it turns out! Maybe it would be good with little flecks of dried nori and some baby shiitake mushrooms...
over 6 years ago ying
This sounds luscious, linzarella. I'm definitely going to try it - but probably with my method, since it's less work. ;)
over 6 years ago mrslarkin
Made this last week. I only had Hearty Brown Rice Miso paste in the house, and it was very potent. Will have to try this again with sweet white miso paste, which I'm guessing is milder?
over 6 years ago gluttonforlife
This looks wonderful! It's going to get folded into my morning repertoire...
over 6 years ago CASJ
This has so many things I like - can't wait to try it.