MISO

Ingredients:

• Koji (can be sporulated or not)

• Legumes (lentils, beans, black chickpeas)

• Water (you can use the cooking water of the legumes)

• Salt

• A spoon of unpasteurized miso

Material:

• Jars

• A weight that fits in the jar

• Blender

Preparation:

1. Boil the legumes (can be overcooked)

2. Wait for it to cool down (must not be hot!!!! To avoid killing the mold)

3. Weight everything and add 10% of salt to the total weight (Koji + legumes + water + salt)

   1. For a quick miso (examples): 50% Koji, 25% legumes, 15% water, 10% salt

   2. For an aged miso: 37% Koji, 37% legumes, 16% water, 10% salt You can add a spoon of old miso to help the start

4. Blend it

5. Put it in a jar by making small balls of miso and by smashing them in the jar to make sure air is not trapped underneath

6. Level the surface and add salt to prevent unwanted mold

7. Put a weight (plate or homemade one) to weight everything down and avoid air contact

8. Wait at least 6 months

Fermentation tips:

You can blend the legumes and ground the cereals for different texture, before mixing them.

The longer the fermentation is the less salty it will taste.

If you add more Koji (the sources of enzymes that will ferment the legumes), the process will be quicker.

If you use sporulated Koji the fermentation will be quicker, because more enzymes are present, but the flavour will be less good.

For a more rounded umami let the fermentation process last longer.

The best is to stop the koji fermentation right before sporulation.

The upper liquid part of Miso is called Tamari and it is really precious.

If there’s mold on top, don’t worry! Just remove it and eat the rest!