Shio-Koji Cookies (GF/Vegan)
Ingredients
50g Flour or rice flour
50g Almond powder
30g Coconut sugar (any sugar works)
25g Coconut oil (any light vegetable oil works fine)
2 tsp Shio-koji
1 TBSP~ Water
Instructions
Mix flour, almond powder, and sugar in a bowl
Add oil and shio-koji, and mix well
Slowly add water and combine all ingredients
Transfer onto parchment paper and press to a thickness of 5 mm
Cut with a knife or use a cookie cutter
Bake at 355F for 13~15minutes
★It's easiest to use your fingers when mixing the ingredients
★This dough is a bit crumbly, so handle it with care
Magical White Shio-Koji
HOW TO MAKE
Ingredients
Fresh koji 100g or Dried koji 80g (Any of rice, barley or brown rice koji)
Salt 30g
Filtered or mineral water 100ml for fresh koji, 120ml~ for dried koji
Room temperature
Put in a clean jar
Mix everything well
Put a lid on
Mix once with a clean spoon every day for 5 to 14 days
Keep in a fridge or freezer when it’s done
Rice cooker / Instant pot / Slow cooker etc
Put in a clean jar
Mix everything well
Put a lid on
Place in a device that has a keep warm setting 55-60℃／131-140℉ for 8-12 hours
Keep in a fridge or freezer when it’s done
OR
Ingredients
Ama koji (concentrate) 100g
Salt 10g
Mix both together well
Keep in a fridge or freezer
TIPS
Mix koji once a day. (anytime, when you notice)
Use clean spoon. (to avoid contamination)
Make sure koji is submerged in water. (especially for the first 2 days)
Do not add too much water, sodium content may decrease.
Add just enough water to cover koji.
No direct sunlight while fermenting.
HOW TO KNOW WHEN IT’S DONE
It usually takes 5~14 days at room temperature. (depending on the temperature of the room)
It takes 2 months in the fridge.
Koji gets soft and breaks easily.
Saltiness gets milder. (not too sharp compare to the beginning)
Slightly sweet after taste. (this is the enzyme in koji!)
Texture is slightly thickened.
HOW TO STORE
Keep it in a fridge or freezer as soon as Shio-Koji is ready to use.
Fridge : 3 month to 6 month
Freezer : 1 year (it won’t be completely frozen)
HOW TO USE
As a marinade :
Use 10% (shio-koji) of weight of the material.(spread all the surface) Enzymes in shio-koji break down starch and protein, in turn, bring umami and sweetness.
It might get too salty if you marinate too long.
Poultry / Fish: 30mins to a couple of days
Meat : Overnight to a few days
Tofu : 3 days to up to a couple of weeks
Do not use shio-koji marinade again once it’s used. (one time use!)
As a salt alternative :
Shio-koji is 1/5 of salt content compared to salt.
Shio-koji add saltiness, umami, subtle sweetness and complexity. Add a pinch of regular salt or soy sauce or miso at the end if the dish needs something.
Do not recommend using shio-koji for anything that has a lot of starch and leave it for too long. Especially mashed potato, potato salad, potato soup and onigiri (rice ball) . It will be very watery or mushy and lose its consistency or the texture. ( Of course you can try and see the power of enzymes!! )
TROUBLESHOOTING
COLOR : Color might change over time.
Good color : white to slightly brown (if you see white thin layer or film on top, it’s totally harmless. It’s called film yeast. Just mix!)
Bad color : blue, red, grey, green, bright pink (if you see these colors, those are bad mold. Do not eat)
Separate into 2 layers (water and koji) : totally fine, just mix.
Bobble : when you see some small bobble or form, it is the fermentation. Totally fine!
SMELL
Sour : lactic acid bacteria or acetic acid may have mixed in. It is still fine to use, but you may not want to use it as a marinade, add heat.
Alcohol : yeast may have mixed. It is still fine to use, but you may not want to use it as a marinade, add heat.
Other suspicious smells : Important to use your five senses and trust your survival instinct!!
If you think it’s not smell good, please do not use or eat.