For the next couple of months everyone's eyes are on the Rugby World Cup being played in Japan.
I have been told it’s a wonderful place that I myself haven't been to, but it’s certainly somewhere I would love to go to, mainly for the food! Japanese cuisine is steeped in history and culture.
Miso is a seasoning product that's heavily used in Japanese cuisine. It’s made with fermented soybeans, salt, koji (fungus) and sometimes rice and seaweed. I haven't found many ingredients that date back as far as miso, with manufacturing dating back to 300 BC.
Miso has that special fifth element of flavour called umami which is salty, sweet, earthy, fruity and savoury. I tend to use it in so many dishes to just boost the flavours, like dressings and gravies.
Miso is a part of many Japanese-style meals, it commonly appears as the main ingredient of miso soup, which is eaten daily by much of the Japanese population, paired with plain rice.
So with the Rugby World Cup being played at night, miso soup is the perfect late night dish to be eaten whilst watching the game as its fast and really tasty!
Mike’s basic miso soup
Serves two supporters
1 chicken breast, skin removed and sliced into strips4 cups of vegetable broth1 head of boy choy, chopped2 strips of spring onions, chopped1 block of tofu, cut into small cubes1 sheet of seaweed, sliced into strips (nori is the best and commonly found)3-4 tbsp miso paste
Place the vegetable broth into a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer.
Add nori and chicken, simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the miso, greens and tofu and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Taste and add more miso if required.
Serve warm. Best when fresh!
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She was born Heather Sweet in 1972, in a small farming town in Michigan.
In the early 90s, ‘the Queen of Burlesque’ launched her career, having started out doing various jobs as a glamour model, in strip clubs and posing for Playboy.
Dita is now an astute business woman, entrepreneur, model, author and fashion designer.
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Dita Von Teese is the most famous name in burlesque, credited with resurrecting the dying art form.
She was born Heather Sweet in 1972, in a small farming town in Michigan.
In the early 90s, ‘the Queen of Burlesque’ launched her career, having started out doing various jobs as a glamour model, in strip clubs and posing for Playboy.
Dita is now an astute business woman, entrepreneur, model, author and fashion designer.
Dita Von Teese is bringing her show Glamonatrix to New Zealand this December, the first time she has toured our country. She speaks to Francesca Rudkin.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ABOVE

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Rugby commentator Grant Nisbett joins Francesca Rudkin to talk about the match and what lies ahead.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ABOVE

The All Blacks are off to a good start at the Rugby World Cup in Japan – they’ve beaten the Springboks 23-13 in their opening match at Yokohama.
Rugby commentator Grant Nisbett joins Francesca Rudkin to talk about the match and what lies ahead.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ABOVE

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LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ABOVE

Getting to the bottom of what exactly is a healthy diet isn’t always easy - and advertising and social media only add to the confusion.
Jim Mann is a professor of human nutrition and medicine at Otago University and an advisor to the World Health Organisation.
He’s been speaking at a nutrition symposium in Wellington talking about the conflicting messages and confusion around food and nutrition.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ABOVE

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