How do I use Shiokoji?

The most common use for shio koji is as a marinade or cure for poultry, meat, seafood, and even vegetables. For proteins, slather them up with shio koji and let them hang out for as little as 30 minutes and up to 24 hours, depending on the size and type of ingredient you are working with.

How do you marinate chicken with koji?

To Marinate

  1. Combine shio koji and soy sauce in a bowl or measuring cup.
  2. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with freshly ground black pepper.
  3. Pour the shio koji mixture and coat the chicken well on both sides. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (minimum) to 3 hours.

What does koji do to chicken?

Shio koji is primarily used as a marinade. Because it is rich in protease enzymes (which break down proteins) and amylase enzymes (which break down starches), it can transform many foods. In our Koji Fried Chicken, it turns the chicken incredibly savory and tender.

What does shio koji do to meat?

Shio koji is a magical ingredient because it has enzymes that break down proteins. This does not only bring out the additional flavor and umami (glutamic acids) but also tenderizes meats and fish. The enzymes also break down starches into sugars. Which is why your meat can burn easily if you’re not careful.

Does koji need to be refrigerated?

For fresh koji at room temperature, you want to use it within the day you make it. It’s fine refrigerated for about a week, but if you want to keep it longer than that, you can freeze it, and it keeps for a pretty long time, about six months to a year.

What can I make with koji?

Depending on how it’s harnessed, koji can bring out the sugars in rice to be fermented into amazake (sweet rice porridge), mirin, and sake. Or it can denature the proteins in beans and grains to produce crazily savory miso pastes and soy sauces.

Is koji in soy sauce?

In addition to its use in alcoholic beverages, koji is used in fermented food such as soybean paste (miso) and soy sauce (shoyu).

What does koji taste like?

What does koji taste like? In its simple form, koji smells sweet and yeasty with hints of chestnut and citrus.

Is koji a yeast?

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.

Does koji tenderize meat?

But when applied to steak, koji does something amazing. Its powerful enzymes slowly tenderize the meat. Innovative chefs have found that in just 48 hours, koji can turn a fresh-cut piece of beef into something that resembles, in texture and taste, a 45-day-aged steak.