SHIO-KOJI (salt-marinated rice malt) as a seasoning

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Have you heard about shio-koji, salt-marinated rice malt? Shio-koji is an old Japanese seasoning, made just from rice malt, salt, and water. All these three ingredients are mixed, fermented, and matured. The old Japanese used shio-koji as a bed for pickling vetetables/fish for preservation as well as for staying healthy.

But is that only an old time story?

Amazingly shio-koji has become so popular again since 2011 that many recipes are introduced in various TV programs or blogs and at cooking schools. Besides many books about shio-koji are published.

To tell the truth, I hadn’t known about this popular fermented seasoning until one of my friends gave me her home-made shio-koji a few weeks ago. Since then, I have become a big fan of it.
You know what? I can use shio-koji for wide variety of dishes – ranging from miso-soup, oden, grilled fish/meat to curry, stew and pot-au-feu. What I do is just add shio-koji instead of salt. It is this fermented seasoning that can deepen the taste!!

Today I started making my own shio-koji:
・Only three gredients to start – dried rice malt (300g), salt (90g) water (500cc)
・Massage the rice malt with salt
・Add water and stir
・Transfer to a Tupperware or some container like that
・Remember to cover it lightly with a lid

That’s all I did today.

From tomorrow, I have to mix it once a day for even fermentation.
In 10 days – 2 weeks, shio-koji should be ready like this ;　（*this picture is not what I work on）

I can’t wait to enjoy my own shio-koji!

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