Dense and fudgy these Salted Miso brownies are earthy and decadent. A perfect plant based vegan dessert for an after dinner treat!
East Cookbook by Meerha Sodha
This new cookbook features 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Beijing. Recipes in the book were inspired by authentic dishes made in East Asian and South East Asian. I love that the book has a huge focus on shifting vegetables from the side of the plate to making them star of the show (well dinner plate).
I love when I get a chance to review a cookbook that helps expand our palate with spices and ingredients that I might not normally pair together! Check out our review of Gluten-Free Yellow Curry Fried Rice from the Vegan Thai Kitchen cookbook to further your own exploration into Asian inspired vegan dinner dishes.
This cookbook has so many amazing sounding plant forward dishes that incorporate vegetables and vegan protein options in new and exciting ways. The book is beautifully illustrated and is a hardback book, which I love because it is very sturdy in the kitchen and the pages stay open better when I am cooking from a recipe! The book is divided into recipes sections such as salads, noodles, curries, rice, tofu and legumes. There are also sections for sides and sweets! Check out these other recipes from the East cookbook:
- Eggplant Larb with sticky rice and a shallot and peanut salad
- Mushroom Mapo Tofu
- Chargrilled Summer Salad
While this new cookbook is not strictly vegan, there are many plant based friendly recipes! This cookbook will help you expand your spice cabinet and introduce you new items for your fridge and pantry.
Ingredients in Salted Miso Brownies from the East Cookbook
I chose to share this fudgy vegan brown recipe for a few reasons! One, because I have not experimented using chia seeds as a binding ingredient in vegan baking and I found out they work were really well!
Second, while I am gluten free and unfortunately cannot eat these brownies, I knew my husband would love a sweet decadent fudgy brownie! I love to make food for others as I mention on our podcast and he loved these brownies that have an earthy deep chocolate taste.
For these miso chocolate brownies you will need:
- Ground Chia Seeds
- Coconut Oil
- Vegan Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa)
- Brown Sugar
- Flour
- Yellow Miso Paste
- Flaky Sea Salt
A few ingredient notes that I adjusted due to lack of ingredients on hand in my kitchen. For the ground chia seeds, I only had non ground chia seeds on hand. I ‘ground’ my chia seeds by placing them in a baggie and using the smooth side of a kitchen mallet to ‘ground them’. They were slightly larger than a true ground chia seed. I also only had coarse sea salt on hand.
Even with these modification the brownies were a delicious!
How to Make Chocolate Miso Salted Brownies
These vegan brownies were easy to make even with the small substitutions I mentioned in the above paragraph.
The are decadent from the rich dark chocolate and savory from the miso paste which adds umami flavor. Flaky sea salt adds that salty taste to counterbalance the sweet brown sugar. What an incredible vegan treat to serve loved ones!
First you need to combine your ground chia seeds with water and let them sit while you make the rest of the recipe. You will add these last. Second, melt your vegan chocolate bar with the coconut oil. This step only takes a few minutes on the stovetop. Next, combine your brown sugar and flour in a bowl and mix in your melted chocolate and miso paste. Gently flake your sea salt into the mixture. Last add your reserved chia seeds – they should be a thick ‘gel like’ consistency. Stir together gently until combined and place in a parchment lined 8×8 square baking pan.
I was worried that these brownies would not rise, but they rise perfectly while baking resulting in a thick, fudgy brownie!
When your salted miso brownies are done, remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
I hope you enjoy these decadent, rich chocolate brownies! If you make them, please tag @badtothebowl on social media, I would love to see them.
Salted Miso Brownies + East Cookbook Review
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tblsp
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tblsp
- , broken into small pieces
- 1 3/4 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3 Tblsp
- 3/4 tsp
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line an 8-inch x 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix the ground chia seeds with 1 cup + 2 tbsp of water and set aside.
- Place the coconut oil and broken chocolate in a medium-sized saucepan and set over a low heat. Stir occasionally until melted, then take off the heat. Mix in the sugar, flour, and miso, and crumble in the salt flakes. Finally, add the bloomed chia seeds and mix. Pour into the lined pan and gently shake to distribute the mixture.
- Place on the middle shelf of the oven for 45 minutes or until firm to the touch around the edges with a slight wobble in the middle, then remove. The brownies might be wobbly in the middle, but they will soon settle down and become deliciously fudgy. Leave to cool completely, then cut into 16 squares.
