Koji - The culture behind Japanese food production
Koji is the culture behind Japanese food production, discover what it is and how it is used.What is Koji?
Koji is not actually a yeast, as many people mistakenly believe. Koji is cooked rice and/or soya beans that have been inoculated with a fermentation culture, Aspergillus oryzae. This naturally occurring culture is particularly prevalent in Japan, where it is known as koji-kin, which explains why so many Japanese foods have been developed over the centuries using it. It is used to make popular foods like soya sauce, miso, mirin and sake.The first step in making these products is creating the koji. This involves adding the Aspergillus culture to steamed rice or soya beans or, in the case of shoyu soya sauce, to a combination of steamed soya beans and roasted, cracked wheat. The resulting mixture is then placed in a warm and humid place for up to 50 hours, often in wooden trays called koji buta in Japanese. During this time the Aspergillus feeds on the rice or soya beans, using enzymes that are adept at breaking down carbohydrates and proteins.
How it is used?
Once it has been created, the koji is usually added to larger quantities of rice or soya beans, together with a brine solution. In the case of mirin, it is mixed with glutinous rice and the distilled alcoholic beverage shochu. In each case, the enzymes in the koji break down complex carbohydrates and proteins into amino acids, fatty acids and simple sugars.When making sake, rice is mixed with koji, which breaks down the carbohydrates into sugars then subsequently fermented by yeast to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide.
The benefits of Koji
The amino acids, fatty acids and simple sugars released by the action of the koji add flavour, depth and, it has been argued, a number of health benefits to foods. For example, the fermentation of soya beans using koji to create miso is known to increase the levels of isoflavones (link to Q & A on isoflavones), which are compounds that are said to be effective in the prevention of cancer.One of the amino acids released by the action of koji is glutamate, which imparts an intensely satisfying and delicious savoury taste known as umami. This, combined with the simple sugars also released, ensure that foods made using koji have a uniquely rounded and deep flavour.
Fluffy white grains of rice koji, here being used to make sake.
Making koji for Clearspring's mirin.
Clumps of rice are broken up to ensure that the koji develops in a uniform way.
The rice inoculated with kojikin culture is placed in wooden trays in a warm, humid atmosphere to propagate.
Miso is just one of the many traditional Japanese foods that relies on koji...
...as is sake, here served in a traditional wooden container called a masu.
https://www.clearspring.co.uk/blogs/news/8024723-koji-the-culture-behind-japanese-food-production
Making DIY Miso from Soy Beans – A step-by-step guide
Healthy, raw soy beans.
The first comment that needs to be said about DIY Miso making is that like wine or cheese making.
It is more of an art to develop tastes and textures, than a science, so feel free to experiment a little even if you are following our step-by-step guide for your own purposes.
An extremely wide variety of Miso paste types and derivatives exist depending on the base ingredients used. The preparation, fermentation, fermentation culture and timing employed also has a large impact on the taste, texture and look of the matured paste. More information on the wide varieties of Miso available and regional production techniques used are available from Wikipedia if you are interested.
Earlier we announced that we had both received a specific Miso making kit from a company called “Komego” in Fukui, Japan and that we were ready to go ahead and make the Miso paste. This kit contained all the ingredients for making a Soy bean based Miso (ie: mame miso). Since we are chasing a deep, rich tasting Miso after maturity, this specific project is lengthy and requires a total fermentation period of approximately 10-11 months. However, shorter or longer preparation is also possible, depending on the desired taste.
Be pre-warned. Miso contains a large amount of salt, despite being widely known as a “healthy food”.
Required Items for this Project
The items and ingredients needed for this Soy Bean Miso project are:1. Items contained in the DIY Miso Kit
- Dried, raw Soy beans (1.3kg)
- Pre-prepared yeast culture (ie: Kōji) for the fermentation process (total 1.5kg)
- Japanese Salt (700g)
- 1 x 10L plastic bucket for storage
- 1 x wooden “lid” for compressing the paste
- Large saucepan(s) / Pressure cooker (ie: cooking requires 3-5 hours with normal saucepans vs only 20 minutes using a pressure cooker!)
- Various small and large mixing bowl(s) (ie: large portions can be separated into smaller bowls for easier mixing and convenience).
- Measuring cup
- Kitchen scale
- Rolling pin, or wooden pounding hammer
- Plastic kitchen bags (optional)
- 2kg stone or other weight.
- Approx. 50cm of plastic kitchen wrap
- 2-4 sheets of clean newspaper or butchers paper
- Approx 2-3m of string or light rope.
Step 1 – Wash and Soak Soy Beans
To make things more manageable and knowing that the beans would swell considerably, we separated them into two batches.
The beans were then left to soak for 24 hours.
Although initially almost round when dry,
the soy beans became a proper bean shape of approximately 1.25mm (half
inch) in length following soaking.
Step 2 – Cooking the Soy Beans
Two options were available for cooking depending on whether we used a saucepan, or a pressure cooker.Soy beans needed cooking for 3-5 hours on a stove in a saucepan, or only 20 minutes in a pressure cooker. We opted for the pressure cooker option to save time and gas!
We kept the liquid that the beans were cooked in, as this was used later for mixing with the Kōji and salt (step 5).
Step 3 – Preparing Salt Batches
While waiting for the soy beans to cook, we separated the salt into three separate batches. Each portion has a separate purpose. We used kitchen scales to measured out a portion of:
– 5 g of salt
– 65 g of salt
– 630 g of salt
Step 4 – Preparing the Yeast (Kōji culture mix)
The yeast was supplied as dried, compacted blocks that required refrigeration to maintain the vitality of the culture. It were lightly crumbled apart in the bowl(s).
The 630 g portion of salt was lightly and evenly mixed into the yeast culture.
Step 5 – Mix Yeast and salt with the water previously used for cooking soy beans.
After the soy beans were cooked sufficiently, we poured the resulting yellow colored water off the top of the beans into a measuring cup.We required 500mL in total. It was placed into a separate bowl.
The 65 g portion of salt was then poured into the 500mL of cooking water and stirred with a whisk until dissolved.
The water was then allowed to cool to approximately room temperature. (Caution: Water that is too hot may kill the fermentation culture!)
The yellow soy bean cooking water was then mixed in even portions into bowls with the yeast & salt mix from the previous step.
All contents of the mixing bowls were well churned over by hand for several minutes. This ensured we had an even distribution of all ingredients throughout the entire (thus far) combined ingredients.
Step 6 – Crushing Soy Beans
The soy beans were then poured from the pressure cooker into a plastic kitchen bag. We removed the air from the bag and then tied a knot at the top so the beans could not spill out during the crushing process.
We took a Japanese rolling pin and crushed the beans in the bag until they ended up having a pasty consistency. We allowed some “chunks” to remain, as we thought this might add to the final matured texture of the Miso. (Here again, due to the large volume of beans, we ended up separating the cooked soy beans into four separate smaller batches to make this pasting process a little more manageable. The photos show one batch only.)
Step 7 – Mix all ingredients together.
The mashed soy bean paste from step 6 and
the mixed salt/yeast culture/cooking water from steps 4 and 5 were then
all combined and mixed well to ensure even consistency throughout the
crumbly paste.
Step 8 – Placing paste into storage container
Using the 10L storage bucket from the kit (or chosen container), the balls of paste were then thrown into the base of the bucket so they would splat flat. This (apparently) helped the aeration of the paste for a final time as it began the fermentation stage. Multiple balls (approximately 10-12) were made out of the paste in order to empty the mixing bowls completely. Each was thrown into the gathering heap of fist sized balls in the storage container.
Once all the paste balls were transferred to the storage bucket, the top was firmly patted and pressed down to remove most of the air from between the paste balls and to form a level surface across the top of the container.
Step 9 – Application of (more) salt
Step 10 – Compression and storage
The supplied circular wooden lid was placed on top of the plastic, followed by a 2 kg weight. The weight adds compression to the paste mass below during fermentation.
Anything heavy and of similar size to the wooden lid was ok for this purpose. We struggled to find anything clean and suitable for this, so we used a freezer container filled with water and a heavy, overturned clay dish. (ie: the bucket did not require total airtight sealing afterwards, so it didn’t matter if he weight protruded from the top of the container.)
Step 11 – Covering the container
Finally, the whole container was topped with newspaper, which was loosely tied around the bucket. The idea was not to seal the bucket’s contents entirely, but instead to provide a little further protection from dust, insects and external moisture. The plastic top of the provided bucket was not required.The binding does not need to be very permanent as the contents will need mixing and attention on a monthly basis here-after until maturation.
Step 12 – Storing the container for fermentation to take place
The container was then stored in a cool, dark place where any light odor that may be produced later does not become a concern. We also ensured that we chose a place away from any possible insects, rodents and other animal which might otherwise make a tasty morsel of our fermenting Miso paste.The temperature around the container will vary greatly between the current chilly late Winter season and the later peak Summer season. This variation however is all part of the fermentation process and adds to development of taste. Constant temperatures are not required.
Steps that are still required include mixing and skimming of any mold growth that develops. More to come soon (see updates below).
Making DIY Miso Paste with Soy Beans (Half Year Update)
At the six month milestone, DIY Miso paste requires mixing of the blended Soy Bean ingredients to help development of flavor.
We wrote about making Miso earlier in the year in our blog post here.
We also produced a step-by-step guide to making DIY Miso paste for those interested in having a shot at making it at home themselves.
With our DIY paste having quietly sat in a cool place for almost half a year, it is about to enter a new Summer phase of fermentation. It was therefore time to re-visit our DIY Miso paste to give it a good thorough mixing to help aerate and redistribute the fermentation culture to ensure development of a rich and consistent taste.
Our home Miso paste project was started in late Winter, which we timed so that ingredients and base flavors had a chance to soak together and spread evenly throughout the entire mixture before Summer heat arrived. The next Summer phase however, is when the real added flavor and character of the Miso develops. As the temperature rises, the fermentation culture kicks into overdrive.
We
used a home DIY Miso project kit supplied by a well known Miso and Soy
bean supply company in South Western Honshu, Japan, due to our desire to
develop a specific taste using specific ingredients sourced from the
Fukui Prefecture region.
In opening our fermentation container after six months, we would normally expect to see at least some discoloration and mold build-up over the surface of the preparation. But on this occasion, perhaps due to the extraordinarily cool weather this year, our crushed Soy bean mixture looked very similar to how it was during initial preparation. Moist and only lightly colored. The fermented taste however, was already developing.
After
mixing, Miso paste is re-compacted and loosely sealed in the bucket to
allow at least another four to six months of fermentation.
We used a clean wooden spoon to gently mix the aging Soy bean ingredients within the bucket. This ensured that the developing tastes of all Soy bean, salt and Kōji (ie: yeast) culture was effectively blended and re-aerated.
Since we are aiming for a smooth and consistent character in our blend, it was important to scrap around the edges and bottom of the bucket to ensure there were no remaining clumps of poorly mixed Soy bean. (Although in some preparations, ingredients are often intentionally left only roughly mixed to help develop a chunkier Miso paste character.)
The bucket was then once again “loosely sealed” with plastic wrap, a compression weight and the wooden “lid” as it was the first time, and then covered and tied with newspaper and string to prevent contamination by dust or insects. The bucket was then placed back into the same unrefrigerated, dark, well aired storage space it came from ready for the Summer.
In this instance, we are happy to say that our “mixing event” was somewhat of a non-event. Our culture was extremely clean and the Miso was developing well.
See you in another four to six months for the final mix and first tastings of our home made, DIY Miso paste!
Japanese Miso – DIY Fermentation Project Complete
We have completed the fermentation of our DIY Japanese Miso Paste from raw soy beans. The Miso making was a great success.
Many readers could be forgiven for reacting with an “Eeuuuwwwww!” upon seeing some of the photos of this process, but believe us, the final miso paste product is extremely tasty. And healthy too!
It has been almost a full year since we started making our paste. The fermentation started in cold Winter months early in the year, soon after when we first discussed home DIY miso making. We later provided a full DIY how-to of miso making guide” when we started the mix, where we showed the ingredients required in the preparation and the techniques used.
Time has flown by. We provided a half year report on the progress of our fermentation project when the soy bean paste received a good mixing just prior to the arrival of Summer’s full heat. At the time, being exposed to only cool temperatures, little had changed in our premature miso paste and there wasn’t even a thread of flavor altering mold to be seen.
Given five extra months of development and an a blast of Japanese Summer heat in between, and that all changed!
With almost a full year of development, we revisited our modest looking Japanese miso paste fermentation bucket. It had lived under the house in a dark, but non-air conditioned area away from insects and pests, since last Winter.
We carefully removed the lightly sealed covering on the preparation.
The
fungus growing on the DIY Miso Paste may be unsightly, but it is
important for adding richness to the texture and taste; not unlike in
the process of making Blue-Vein Cheese.
The fungus mainly grows on the surface of the Miso paste. It can be easily scooped away and discarded.
Did the miso preparation have copious amounts of flavor altering mold growing on it? Yes!
Was it initially a handsome sight to see and photograph? No, not at all!
(If you are following this guide, then brace yourself for this initial opening surprise and what you will see. The fungus buildup, although normal, is not the sort of thing you usually want to see growing on your food!)
Although unsightly, the main bulk of the fungus was only growing on the surface of the miso paste.
We quickly scooped most of the fungus away and discarded it. Although unsightly, the fungus is extremely important in developing the rich, unique flavors that make miso what it is. Not unlike the process involved in making Blue Vein Cheese. All that ugly looking fungal goodness adds to the health and flavor. Admittedly, it may not be for everyone.
Once the main portion of fungus and mold had been removed from the surface (leave more if you want a stronger taste in your mix), we mixed the remaining soft paste well within the bucket.
The texture of the miso paste found below the surface of fungus had also changed significantly since the ingredient mix six months prior. The crushed bean paste was deeper in color and the ingredients appeared more ‘blended’ and pasty in texture than before.
The Japanese Miso paste was given a good mix before being transferred to more sightly food containers.
Once we had mixed the miso well and then transferred portions into a more appealing food bowl away from the initial sights of fungus, the taste test was a far more palatable concept.
Like the odour, we found the taste was deep, rich and well developed. The saltiness of the ingredients had somewhat dissipated to blend with the strong nuttiness taste of the soy beans. The DIY custom designed miso taste was definitely unique and tasty!
After a year of waiting, the DIY Japanese Miso paste could finally be used to add unique Japanese flavors to food preparations.
Готовим мисо пасту!
Для приготовления Вам понадобится:- 400 грамм соевых бобов
- 600 мл воды
- 150 грамм соли
- 300 грамм грибка
кодзи-кинКоме-Кодзи - керамическая глазурованная посуда, объемом в 5 литров (или пластиковое ведро)
- деревянная крышка, легко опускаемая в керамическую посуду (или тарелка)
- кухонная бумага (пергамент или др.)
- камни весом в три килограмма
Этап первый:
Всего 6 небольших этапов и мисо паста готова! Вам нужно замочить соевые бобы в воде на 3 часа. За это время они должны набухнуть, увеличилась в размерах примерно в 2 раза. Далее отвариваем сою в кастрюле с водой в течение 3-4 часов до готовности (соевые бобы должны стать мягкими).
Этап второй:
Сливаем бобы в дуршлаг. После берем картофелемялку и 13 горячих бобов разминаем в пюре. Далее даем получившейся массе остыть до теплого состояния, но не холодного!!!
Этап третий:
В 200 мл воды растворяем 100 грамм соли и медленно вливаем в соевое пюре, помешивая массу. После в полученную массу добавляем 300 грамм грибка кодзи-кин и все тщательно перемешиваем рукой.
Этап четвертый:
Помещаем нашу соевую массу в керамическую глазурованную посуду, объемом в 5 литров. Предварительно посыпав дно посуды одной чайной ложкой соли. После того, как Вы выложили всю массу в посуду, стоит ее равномерно распределить и придавить рукой. Сверху посыпать еще одной чайной ложкой соли.
Этап пятый:
Покройте поверхность массы кухонной бумагой, придавливая руками так, чтобы вовнутрь не попадал воздух. После накройте деревянной крышкой, легко опускаемой в керамическую посуду. А сверху уложите пресс, весом в 3 килограмма. Лучше всего использовать камни.
Этап шестой:
Проверяйте мисо пасту и добавляйте по одной чайной ложки соли каждый день, пока Ваша посуда не наполниться до 80% от общего объема (остальные 20% нужны для жидкости мисо, которая будет выделяться в процессе брожения).
!!! Посуду с мисо пастой нужно хранить в темном и прохладном месте (около 15 С).
!!! В течении от 6 месяцев до 5 лет брожения – мисо паста будет готова.
!!! Умерте Ваше любопытство! При каждом поднятии крышки с массы мисо и проверки – снижается качество пасты. Поэтому проверяйте не чаще, чем раз в 2 месяца.
Приготовление соложеного риса (Коме-Кодзи)
Ингредиенты:
400гр. кругло- или среднезерного риса
0,5 чайной ложки спор Кодзи-кин
0,5 чайной ложки спор Кодзи-кин
Оборудование:
Дуршлаг, сито или бамбуковая пароварка.
ХБ или льняная ткань для впитывания конденсата
Кастрюля или сковорода для установки сита/дуршлага/бамбуковой пароварки
Приготовление Коме-кодзи(соложеного риса):
Промойте до прозрачных вод (не менее 7 смен воды) 400 грам риса, залейте водой и вымачивайте примерно полтора часа, затем слейте воду, переложите рис в корзинку или сито и подождите 20 минут, надо чтом вся вода стекла.Приготовьте рис на пару. Для этого рис поместите в дуршлаг, сито или бамбковую пароварку, установите ее над кастрюлей с водой, важно установить так чтобы кипящая вода не намочила рис. Если вы готовите в металической емкости то обязательно укройте рис тканью для впитывания капель с крышки. Наиболее предпочтительно использование бамбуковой пароварки, т.к. В ней поддерживается оптиманьная температура для пропаривания и отсутствует проблема конденсата.
Пропаривайте рис 45-60 минут. Готовый рис очень характерно выглядит: позрачный, рассыпчатый и чуть липкий, и резиновый при раскусывании. Готовый рис переложите в нержавеющую Кастрюлю или пищевой контейнер и охладите до 30 градусов. Возьмите полчайной ложки спор кодзи-кин и равномерно обсыпьте охлажденный рис, чтобы это было проще сделать мможно смешать его с 1 ч.л. Обычной муки. заражать рис грибком проще всего при помощи мальнекого сита или чайноко ситечка. Укройте емкость влажной хб или льняной тканью для защиты от пересыхания и неплотно прикройте крышкой. Очень важно следить за тем чтоб рис был влажный!. Оставшиеся споры можно хранить в сухом темном месте.
Поместите емкость с обсемененным рисом в теплое место при температуре 30 градусов. Поддержание этой температуры совершенно необходимо в первые 24-30 часов. Для этого можно поставить контейнер подстол к батарее, облажить кастрюлю пластиковыми бутылками с 55 град водой и укрыть одеялами или теплой одеждой, или помемтить с бутылками в термоконтейнер. Примерно через 15 часов (у меня прошло 36) вы увидите на рисе белый налет, и появится характерный «сырный» запах (В россии юто называется «воняет носками»), запах довольно интенсивный но не противный. Очень важно понимать что вы выращиваете плесневые грибы, плесень на рие должна быть именно такой белой или чуть желтоватой с староносочным запахом, если там выростет чтото другое то в лучшем случае саке у вас не получится, а в худшем вы просто отравитесь. После того как ваш рис начал белеть и появился запахвыдержите емкость с рисом еще сутки и приступайте к изготовлению саке. Ничего страшного если коме-кодзи уже готов а вы к приготовлению саке еще не готовы, поместите рис в пакет и заморозьте или высушите у открытого окна. Передерживать рис нежелательно т.к. Запах коме-кодзи станет слишком сильным и это может повлиять на качества будущего напитка.
Day One (Senmai • Shinseki)
- Wash the rice and soak it overnight in water.
Day Two (Koshiki • Tokoire)
- Drain the rice and then steam it in a cloth-lined steamer.
- Remove the steamed rice from the steamer and spread it out to cool.
- Inoculate the cooled steamed rice with koji spores. We use sterilized spores from a koji spore supplier. There are 10 koji spore suppliers in Japan. Even large-scale sake companies buy koji spores.
- The inoculated rice is placed in a large tub-shaped wooden
container called a tokobune in the temperature-controlled koji room and
left to incubate.
Day Three (Tokomomi • Mori • Shimai )
- After one night in the tokubune, the koji spores begin to propagate and the fermentation process begins. Heat is generated when the koji begins to grow, so it is necessary to cool the koji by mixing it by hand or with a large paddle. Clumps are broken apart and spread around.
- The immature koji is then transferred to long, shallow wooden boxes and stacked to get the cooled koji active again. It is periodically set in mounds and then separated to maintain the appropriate temperature.
- A few hours after the koji has been transferred, the final process is to slow down the increase in heat. Our hands dance through the warm koji to keep it at the proper temperature.
Day Four (Dekoji)
- The finished koji is taken out of the koji room and cooled. The rice is partially broken down and covered with white, wooly filaments. It has a rich, sweet aroma. It is ready to be used.
http://www.homebrewer.ru/wiki/doku.php?id=prigotovlenie_kome-kodzi_solozhenogo_risa
Кодзи-кин брать здесь :
http://order.kagi.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?storeID=3TI&&
http://www.soyinfocenter.com/pdf/154/Koji.pdf
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