White Miso Paste

White miso paste is a pale, beige to light yellow fermented soybean paste. It tastes mildly salty and slightly sweet with a soft, smooth texture, and it dissolves readily into liquids; cooks whisk it into dressings and soups, rub it into marinades and glazes, and mash it with butter for compound spreads; it is typically sold refrigerated in tubs or pouches.

Developed in Japan, shiro miso uses a higher proportion of rice koji and a shorter fermentation than darker styles. It spread through regional Japanese cuisines and modern restaurant kitchens worldwide, and producers steam soybeans, inoculate rice with koji, then ferment the mixture under salt to maturity.