Miso isn’t just for the base of a soup. It’s a salty, funky, fermented paste that packs the kind of deep, savoury punch I chase in everything I cook. If umami were a person, miso would be the godparent – complex, a little mysterious and always welcome at the table. I didn’t grow up with miso, but I’ve adopted it like family – the kind you want around every week.

This isn’t about fusion for fusion’s sake. It’s about respect, curiosity and a little kitchen alchemy. Here are five ways I use miso to layer richness, add depth, and make even the humblest dish feel like an event.

1. Miso in salad dressing

This is for the times a salad needs to step up. Think white miso whisked with rice vinegar, sesame oil and a little maple syrup or honey for sweetness. It coats greens like it means it. Pour it over steamed veg, shredded cabbage or even noodles – it’s always up for the job. If this sounds up your alley, then try Scott Parker’s recipe for green miso queen dressing, which is delicious enough to simply eat by the spoonful. This should keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Green queen miso dressing recipe

2. Miso as a sweet sticky glaze

Miso turns into pure gold when mixed with a little brown sugar, soya sauce and a splash of mirin. Brush it over carrots, brinjals or even corn before roasting or grilling. It caramelises, crisps up, and gives that lick-the-pan effect every time. Phillipa Cheifitz demonstrates the caramelly magic miso is capable of in this sticky miso glazed trout recipe. It’s just as delicious tossed onto hot pork sausages in the pan!

Miso-glazed trout recipe

3. A miso compound butter

Mash a spoonful of miso into softened butter and you’ve just upgraded your toast, your steak and your roast sweet potatoes. It’s salty, rich, and somehow feels both luxurious and necessary. I keep a stash in the fridge like it’s a secret weapon. Because it is. Abigail Donnelly’s Brussels sprouts with crispy garlic and miso butter will make you exceedingly popular at your next dinner party.

Brussels sprouts with crispy garlic recipe

4. Miso for deep flavour in a broth

A tablespoon of miso stirred into a broth or soup right at the end of cooking brings everything together. Not just flavour-wise, but emotionally, too. It rounds off sharpness, adds depth, and makes even a fridge-cleanout soup taste like it came from a place of love. If you want to put this theory to the test, add whatever leftover veggies you have at hand to this classic miso soup – a soul-warming bowl and a surefire hangover cure to boot.

Classic miso soup recipe

5. Miso in dessert – trust me!

Don’t look at me like that. Miso in caramel sauce is something everyone should try at least once. A teaspoon of white miso in brownies, choc-chip cookies and even banana bread is like adding a bass note under all that sweetness. Quiet, but powerful. If you’re looking for an impressive way to explore this flavour, get your homies together and make Bianca Strydom’s miso-and-fudge tart. Spoons up!

Miso-and-fudge tart recipe

Miso doesn’t shout. It hums. It deepens. It whispers, “This is better than you thought it would be.” And in my kitchen, that’s the kind of guest I’ll always make space for.