Shio-Koji (塩麹)

[Sally-chan]

I’ve been reading quite a bit about shio koji and finally got around to cooking with it. “Shio-koji is koji that has been fermented in salt. It is a live food that is rich in enzymes and brings out the umami in foods. It can be used in place of salt in any dish or as an ingredient in sauces. The saltiness is mild and sweet. Using shio-koji instead of salt will lower the overall salt content in your food. With shio-koji you get the same salty flavor with less than 50% of the salt content.” http://www.kojiya.jp/shiokoji/index.html

“Koji is steamed rice that has been innoculated with koji spores (Aspergillus oryzae) and incubated to allow the fungus to grow. Rich in enzymes, koji is the key ingredient in all the basic foods of the traditional Japanese diet. It is used as a starter to make miso, soy sauce, sake, shochu, mirin and vinegar.” http://www.kojiya.jp/koji/index.html

Has anyone experimented with it? So far I’ve made salad dressing, cucumber pickles and grilled chicken thighs with shio koji. It tenderized the meat and added a savory and subtly sweet taste. I have some soft boiled eggs that will rest in the fridge for three days before I try it. Next up tofu, salmon and karaage.

Any other ideas on how to use this product? I’m so excited by it that I bought kome koji so I can make some shio koji myself. I look forward to hearing how others are using it.