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It’s a cold and wet January this year, a good time to start a batch of miso. Miso is made by fermenting a mixture of protein (usually cooked soybean) with rice koji and salt. With the experience of making shoyu last year, I feel confident about cultivating rice koji myself.
Rice koji is grown by inoculating steamed rice with koji-kin, or live aspergillus oryzae spores. Given warm and humid environmental conditions, it then grows over the next 24 to 48 hours, ideally covering not just the surface of the rice, but also growing into its interior. Koji connects the rice grains into a fluffy, white mycelial mat that has a pleasant, earthy and mushroomy aroma.
What does it taste like on its own? Rice koji has an umami flavour and can be used for seasoning. It can be applied directly to meats to dry age them, and can also be mixed with other seasonings such as salt or soy sauce to create condiments like shio koji and shoyu koji.
However, rice koji’s greatest power is in creating a variety of fermented foods - not just miso and other pastes, but also alcohol like amazake and sake. Join me next time as I try making some of these foods with my cultivated rice koji!
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Koji spore and rice flour mixture
Koji spores (Aspergillus oryzae) - 10g
Rice flour - 100g
1. Wearing a mask, combine koji spores and white or brown rice flour in a 1:10 ratio.
2. Mix thoroughly.
3. Only 1g of koji spore is needed to ferment 1kg of protein, so this mixture is a way to help dilute the spores for a more even distribution over the steamed rice. We will not be using all of it, and you can store the leftover mixture in the freezer for future use. Koji spores can be purchased online from koji makers.
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Koji rice
Koji spore and rice flour mixture - 4g
Medium- or long-grain rice such as jasmine - 200g
Water for soaking
1. Rinse and drain rice. Soak rice in clean water for at least 6 hours.
2. Using a bamboo steamer lined with cloth, steam rice over low heat until al-dente, around 45 to 75 minutes. The rice should be firm on the surface, but soft inside. It should not be mushy or clumpy.
3. Prepare a tray for growing in. I’m using a perforated hotel pan, lined with a hemmed, lint-free cheesecloth. The thin cheesecloth and holes in the pan will help absorb and drain away excess water.
4. Spread the rice out in the pan to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, evenly sprinkle 4g of the koji spore and rice flour mixture over the rice.
5. Mix using your hands, then spread the rice out in an even layer. Spray with some water, then cover with plastic wrap with holes poked in it.
6. Set the pan in a warm environment between 70°F/21°C and 95°F/35°C. I’m using my bread proofer, set at 86°F/30°C, but you can also use an oven with the light turned on. There are many different set-ups that people have created in their homes that you can refer to online, or in books.
7. Let the koji grow over the next 24 to 48 hours. As koji generates its own heat while growing, keep an eye on temperature, ensuring it does not exceed 115°F/46°C.
8. Mix and re-spread out the rice every 12 hours, or when the rice is heating up excessively. Spray with additional water if it feels dry.
9. The rice koji is ready when the fungus has completely covered the rice grains, forming a connective, fluffy white mat with an earthy, pleasant aroma. Use immediately, or store for a week in the fridge.
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References
Koji Alchemy by Rich Shih and Jeremy Umansky
fermentationculture.eu
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