Method

Note: " Made from egg yolk and Saikyo miso (sweet white miso), tama-miso is used as a topping or basting sauce for grilled foods, and a base for dressings. Tama-miso is prepared in a Japanese mortar, a suribachi, with a wooden pestle, a surikogi.  If you do not have these utensils, use a bowl and a sturdy plastic spatula."

In a small cup, mix the sake with 2 tablespoons water.  In a suribachi or other mortar, grind the miso, sugar, and egg yolk to a smooth paste.  Add the rice wine and water mixture little by little, grinding all the time.  Season to taste with shoyu.

Have at hand a bowl half-filled with cold water and ice cubes.  Transfer the sauce to the top of a double-boiler, and cook the sauce over simmering water, stirring constantly and thoroughly so you do not scramble the egg, until the sauce becomes thicker, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Set the bowl of sauce in the bowl of cold water and ice cubes to cool.  Tama-miso may be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for three days.  Heat the sauce through before using it.

Yields: 2/3 cup sauce

Reprinted with permission from © Hiroko Shimbo Beitchman, The Japanese Kitchen, published by Harvard Common Press   click for book review

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Use this with Hiroko's recipe for broiled or grilled miso-marinated salmon with spinach sauce