Telling yourself to just eat healthier is a little ambiguous, right?
Well, a new cookbook by author Dr. Gary Deng gives readers step-by-step instructions on how to cook for a healthier life.
He joined the show and shared a recipe for miso-baked white fish.
Miso-Baked White Fish
Miso — fermented soybean paste — is a nutritious vegan seasoning. During fermentation, the enzymes break down the proteins and carbohydrates in soybeans and produce umami-tasting by-products. Miso can replace sauce or seasoning made of meat stock or dairy products (butter or cheese) without losing the flavor-enhancing effect. Shio koji is a fermented rice paste containing a different set of umami-producing compounds and a little bit of alcohol, which brings out even more flavor from the fish. Any mild-flavored white fish, such as sea bass, cod, haddock, or snapper, would work well for this dish.
Preparation time: 5 minutes, plus overnight marinating time
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
For gluten-free, use dashi
- 2 tablespoons white miso
- 1 tablespoon shio koji (fermented rice paste) or 1 more tablespoon miso
- 1 tablespoon mild-flavored vegetable oil, such as canola (rapeseed) oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons rice wine
- ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- 4 skinless white fish fillets (such as cod, haddock, snapper or seabass), about 6 oz/175 g each and 1 inch/2.5 cm thick
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions (spring onions)
- Mushroom sauce (shop-bought) or dashi (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a glass or ceramic baking dish large enough to hold the fish in one layer, combine the miso, shio koji, oil, sugar, wine, and vinegar. Mix to form a smooth paste.
2. Dry the fish with paper towels. Add the fillets to the marinade in the baking dish and turn to coat them. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 or up to 16 hours, depending on your schedule.
3. When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4).
4. Use a spoon to gently scrape off most of the marinade from the fish, leaving just a very thin layer. Discard the marinade and wipe the baking dish clean, then return the fish to the dish.
5. Bake the fish until it starts to flake, about 20 minutes, depending on thickness.
6. Increase the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C/Gas Mark 8) and roast until the fish develops a golden crust, about 5 minutes. (You could also broil/grill the fish at this point.)
7. Sprinkle with the scallions (spring onions) and drizzle with mushroom sauce or dashi, if using.
Pairs with: A grain dish and 2 vegetable or salad dishes for a complete meal.
Excerpted from "The Wellness Principles: Cooking for a Healthy Life" by Gary Deng, MD, PhD. © 2022 Phaidon Press Limited.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Integrative medicine is the new buzzword right now, but Dr. Deng was an early adopter of Integrative Medicine. He was one first medical doctor focusing his practice of Integrative Medicine, and ONLY one of three at his hospital to provide this service when he began. Gary Deng, MD, PhD, is the Director of Integrative Medicine at the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where he has pioneered a program to focus on a holistic approach to health. He integrates an evidence-based medical and scientific approach with both Eastern and Western philosophies of self-care, and at the core of his mission is nutrition and understanding what we should eat and why.
Segment Producer Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 AM weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.