Miso

This dish is compulsively delicious. One adult could easily eat the entire head of cauliflower for dinner and feel good about it.

With tahini, miso, a touch of sweetness, and rice vinegar, this umami-lover’s dream salad is the perfect way to put a fresh spin on a Western classic.

This lightly seasoned cucumber salad, similar to Japanese sunomono, has spiralized carrots for sweetness and a punch of fresh ginger.

I was determined to recreate gourmet-quality steak at home. After researching and testing multiple methods, I finally found one that gives the seared-to-perfection surface and medium-rare pink center.

Tossed with a miso and tahini dressing, this spring-evoking grain bowl can be topped with whatever seasonal produce looks irresistible at the market.

This super-oishii (“delicious”) spicy ramen bowl is made with basic pantry staples, such as miso paste and tahini, plus Sriracha for spice! I love adding a bit more Sriracha for heat, and topping it all off with a slightly runny soft-boiled egg.

Springy ramen noodles and a cilantro-miso sauce bring a welcome twist to a classic pesto recipe.

Slow-cooking a "roast" chicken yields moist, juicy meat but flabby skin—the easy fix is to run the carved chicken under the broiler to crisp the skin before serving.

Short ribs on a weeknight? Combine thin-cut, flanken-style ribs with a flavor-packed sauce made with mayo, miso, and Sriracha, and anything is possible.

Using chilled gravy is important. If the gravy isn’t solidified, the mayo will be runny.

Berbere, the Ethiopian chile-based spice blend, punches up these baked meatballs while a quick sauté of radishes, garlic, and wilted kale rounds things out.

The homemade Sichuan chili paste and chili oil yield more than you need for this cold ramen recipe, but they will keep for weeks and make for great all-purpose condiments. Or you can just make this dish over and over.

Smoky bacon, crunchy shredded lettuce, and a zesty dressing—what’s not to like?

Crushing and smashing green beans and cucumbers creates nooks and crannies to soak up as much umami-rich miso sauce as possible. And this is a dressing you'll want a lot of.

The two flavors, miso and mustard, make an unlikely but incredibly delicious pair.

Chef Ignacio Mattos of Café Altro Paradiso and Estela in NYC inspired this puréed lemon dressing with olive oil, miso, and honey—the ideal base note for pleasantly bitter radicchio.

Layering salmon between sheets of kombu is an easy way to gently cure it, drawing in salt and umami-depth.

Toss roasted squash and Brussels sprouts with a perfectly salty and spicy miso-harissa dressing for a refreshing change of pace.

Rich with nutty tahini, savory miso, and plenty ginger and garlic, this comforting vegetarian soup is just what the doctor ordered for a chilly weeknight.