Shio Koji

Shio-koji
Ingredients:
500 gm koji rice A good site with good instructions on how to make your koji
rice:
(https://timogarden.wordpress.com/how-to-make-koji/)
170 gm sea salt
650 cc water

1. Put the koji rice in a bowl and rub with your hands to break up any
clumps.
2. Add the salt and mix thoroughly with your hands, rubbing until the
mixture is uniform.
3. Add just enough water to cover the mixture, stir and transfer to a
clean container (covered to keep dust out) or just leave in the bowl
(covered), or a non reactive tray (covered). Keep at room
temperature.
4. For the first week, mix once a day until the flavor settles. Stir from
the bottom to bring air into the mixture.
5. It takes 7-10 days to reach full flavor, depending on the season.
When it is done, the rice kernels are smaller and the fragrance is
salty sweet. Now it can be transferred into a jar or container that
can be tightly covered and stored in the fridge for use for up to 6
months. Blending at this point is recommended but is optional.
Notes:
Use a fine-grained sea salt with a simple flavor. Koji intensifies
flavor, so salt with a high mineral content will have a very strong
mineral taste.
Run through a blender for a smoother consistency before using.
 Foods prepared with shio-koji taste better than when prepared with
regular salt. Why is that?
The enzyme proteases in koji breaks down the proteins in the ingredients
and
creates
glutamic acid, a key component of umami, imparting a savory flavor.
In cooking how much shio-koji should one use in place of salt?
For each 1 teaspoon of salt called for in a recipe, use 2 teaspoons of shio-
koji.
What is the salt content of shio-koji?
Shio-koji made using this recipe is 13% salt. Each teaspoon of shio-koji
contains 0.9 gm salt.
How much does the salt content in foods prepared with shio-koji
decrease for the same amount of saltiness?
1 teaspoon of salt is 5 gms of salt. If you use 2 teaspoons of shio-koji
prepared with this recipe in place of that 1 teaspoon of salt, there is a total
of only 1.8 gm of salt.
The consistency of shio-koji is a bit lumpy, what can one do to
make it smoother?
In recipes where a smooth consistency is preferred, you can mix it for a
few seconds in a blender. This consistency is easy to use in a squeeze
bottle.
Can one reuse the shio-koji used to marinate fish or meat?
No. Once the shio-koji has been used as a sauce to marinade meat, fish or
vegetables, it cannot be reused.
When making shio-koji, what kind of salt should one use?
Use any small-grained sea salt with a mild neutral flavor. Selecting a salt
rich in minerals such as Himalayan rock salt imparts a very intense mineral
taste in foods many do not appreciate. Do not use refined iodized table
salt. Shio-koji made with iodized salt has a strong iodine odor and taste.
What kind of container should I use when storing shio-koji in the
refrigerator?
Use a plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid. A squeeze bottle is
ideal.
How long does it keep?
Refrigerated it keeps for six months.
Can I freeze shio-koji?
It can be kept up to a year in the freezer.
Amazaké & Ama-koji

Amazaké Base
This recipe requires a rice cooker and a cooking thermometer and scale.
(1.5 liter base makes 3 liters beverage)
500 gm koji
600 gm (720 ml) milled mochi rice
900 ml water (to cook rice)
Recipe:
1. Wash the mochi rice and put into a rice cooker. Add water to the 5-
cup line (900 ml). Cook.
2. Crumble the rice koji.
3. Transfer the cooked rice into another bowl and stir the rice with a
rice paddle until it reaches 70°C (160° F). Add the koji and continue
to stir.
4. Once the rice and koji are mixed well and cooled to about 60°C
(140° F), transfer the mixture back to the rice cooker and cover
with a cloth and leave the top of the rice cooker open. Set the rice
cooker setting to "Keep Warm".
5. In an hour or two, stir well. (this improves the consistency and
makes it sweeter).
*Koji should be about 50-60°C (125° - 140° F) to become sweet. If
the temperature is too high, stir; if it is too low, close the rice
cooker lid until the heat rises.
6. After 5 or 6 hours, stir well again. Taste. It should taste sweet and
have a rich, sweet aroma.
7. After 10 hours, the amazaké base will be completed. Put it into a
sterilized container. Once it has cooled to room temperature, store
in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 10 days. Store in the
 freezer up to 6 months.
8. To drink as amazaké, blend to make smooth and dilute it with an
equal amount of water.
Ama-koji
This is slightly thicker than the amazaké base.
1. Follow the instructions above through Step 7.
2. Put this mixture into a pan and simmer gently on low heat for about
30 minutes. Check the temperature with a food thermometer. Do
not let the temperature rise above 70 degrees C (155 degrees F).
3. Put it into a sterilized container. Once it has cooled to room
temperature, store in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 10
days. Store in the freezer up to 6 months.
Notes:
If you use brown mochi rice, use 1500 ml of water.
Run through a blender for a smoother consistency.
Freeze in small batches for single use.
When using ama-koji in place of amazaké, dilute it with an equal amount of
water.

Is there alcohol in amazaké?

No. there is no alcohol content in amazaké. Amazaké that is made with
mochi rice and koji contains no alcohol and is naturally sweet. Another kind
of amazaké is made using sake lees and does contain alcohol. This
particular recipe is not that kind of amazaké.
Is it okay to boil amazaké?
The enzymes become inactive when boiled. In order to preserve the
enzyme activity, do not heat over 70°C.
Can you drink amazaké without diluting it?
 Yes but is better diluted to a consistency that is perfect for drinking. If you
use ama-koji to make amazaké, dilute it with at least an equal amount of
water.
What is the difference between amazaké and ama-koji(sweet koji)?
Ama-koji is the base of amazaké. Ama-koji is diluted with water to make
amazaké.
It doesn't need to be diluted when used in cooking.
Can I make amazaké at home?
Yes. It is easy to make amazaké using these instructions.
Can I use brown mochi rice instead of white mochi rice?
Yes. You need to double the amount of water.
Can I use any kind of rice?
Yes. Traditionally mochi rice (sweet rice) is used because it is high in gluten
and becomes sticky when it is cooked. However, any type of rice or grain
such as millet can be used.
Can amazaké be frozen?
Yes amazaké if frozen at a low temperature to preserves the vitality of the
koji in the amazaké.
If you use high pressure or heat to sterilize the amazaké, the koji becomes
inactive and the resulting product is just a glucose syrup.
If amazaké is stored at room temperature, the quality and taste changes.
One can freeze the amazaké to preserve the quality and flavor.
After the amazaké is defrosted, does it need to be used immediately?
Once the amazaké is defrosted and left at room temperature, it will
continue to ferment and the taste will change. One can refreeze the
remaining amazaké and use it up quickly.
Quick Soy Sauce
You'll need:
900g soy beans
300g brown rice
3g or 1tsp soy bean koji spores
3 liters boiled water, cool to room temperature.
600g salt

Method:
1. Soak soy beans 6~12 hours then boil for 2 hours. Drain the beans.
2. Soak brown rice for 1 hour. Drain. Then saute with gentle heat for 10~15
minutes until the rice turns to golden color. Crush the rice roughly with food
processor.
3. Mix rice with koji spores, then spread the mixture on soy beans. Mix well.
4. Cover with a sheet and wait 48~60 hours for the koji grows. Basically the
same as black bean koji.
5. After the fermentation is done, put the soy-rice mixture in a clean crock. Melt
salt in water then add into the crock. Mix well. Cover with a lid.
6. Stir the mixture twice a day for one week. Then stir once a day for another
week. Then stir once every three or four days until the soy sauce is done.
Might need 4~6 weeks in summer, 6~12 weeks in winter. You can leave it as
long as two to three years.
7. When the color turns dark and the smell is getting strong, use a jelly bag to
strain the soy sauce out. You can use the lees to make pickles.

How To Make Black Bean Sauce (Chinese fast

method)
1. Grow the koji mold spores out on the cooked black beans. After the beans
are fermented (sporulated). Wash the beans thoroughly to clean the koji mold
off..
2. Sun dry the washed black beans.
3. Mix the beans with the same weight 30% salt water in a jar.
4. Put the jar by the window to get plenty of sunshine. Stir the beans once a
day for one month.
5. From the second month, stir once a week for 6 to 8 months.
6. Strain the soy sauce with a cotton jelly bag. You can use the soy sauce now
or add seasoning and boil it then keep in the refrigerator.