KOJI

Ingredients:

• Cereals (rice, barley…)

• Mold depending on the substrate:

• Aspergillus oryzae

• Aspergillus sojae

• Aspergillus luchuensis

Materials:

• Fermentation chamber to control temperature and humidity

• Container

• Teatowels

Preparation:

1. Soak cereals for 24h

2. Steam (not boil!) them (in order to know if it is properly cooked, try to make a ball out of them, if it sticks together, it is cooked enough)

3. Let it cool down

4. Put it in a container

5. Inoculate with spores: use the amount of spores indicated on the package. Mix gently with hands

6. Close the container with wet or dry cloths depending on the substrates humidity

7. Put in the fermentation chamber:

   1. Temperature: 28-42°C

   2. Humidity: 80-90%

   3. Time: 25-60h (after 12h mix the KOJI every 3-6h during the fermentation process to separate grains)

Suggestions for other recipes:

Koji can be used for a lot of different preparations: shiokoji, miso, sake, amazake, shoyu sauce…

Fermentation tips:

The Koji mycelium is white and spores are green.

After 20-24h the Koji starts to heat itself, be careful to check it to avoid overheating.