For this dish, you should use "white miso". There are many different types of miso, so below listed three typical miso you would see in a shop.

White miso (saikyo miso)

Boiling soybeans will cause the ingredients in the soybeans that turn brown to be washed out in the broth. The ratio of rice and soy is 2:1, as using a lot of rice makes the browning reaction less likely to occur. The aging period is a short several months, so the browning effects are unlikely to occur. It is lighter and sweeter than red miso.

Note!

Sometimes, blended miso (see below) is sold as white miso (I don't know why)... If you are not sure whether you are using the right miso or not, please ask us.

Suitable dishes

Saikyo-yaki, rice cake hot pot (Zou-ni), and miso sauce for seasoned vegetables (Ae-mono)

Red miso (Haccho miso)

Red miso (although it looks rather brown) is made from rice, soybeans and salt. Among the types of red miso, Haccho miso is made with only soybeans and salt, so the taste of the beans is deep and astringent. The soybeans are steamed for a long time, and their soy amino acids and sugars react to turn red. The ratio of rice to soybean is 1:1. By using a large amount of soybeans, the reddening reaction is enhanced and red miso is formed. The miso is aged for more than a year to make the miso thoroughly red. This also allows the salt concentration to be high and the taste to be strong.

Suitable dishes

red miso soup (Aka-dashi), miso beef sinew (Dote-ni), rice cake (Dengaku)

Blended miso (Awase miso)

Miso blended with red and white miso (or several different types of miso). By blending two or more types of miso from different production areas, a higher level of richness and umami can be achieved.

Suitable dishes

miso soup, miso hotpot (Miso-ni)