Koji and Garums - NOMA guide to fermentation

[Wholemeal Crank]

I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, and I'd love to have some opportunity to try some of these things to know where to invest limited time--would I really find them appealing enough to justify setting up a fermentation chamber?  Does anyone know of any commercial sources for something like the lower sodium nontraditional misos in the book?

[El Be]

Hi. I just made my first batch, and can add some info in equipment and process, but first I have a question. 
 

I used the exact Noma recipe, which calls for 240g of salt, and the result is very (very) salty. On tasting it, I get little umami. I haven’t cooked with it, but plan on grilling burgers tonight. Will report. 
 

So has anyone else completed a batch and found this as well? If so, have they done a batch with less salt? I would try a batch at a lesser amount, but what amount for the 1kg of beef and 1l water is safe? I am able to keep it at 140°F, so that’s not an issue. 
 

Thanks. I’ll post about equipment in a separate post. 

[El Be]

Equipment
 

I squinted at the Noma images and found all the same equipment, except the humidifier (more below).

 

Here’s the setup:

 

Cambro EPP180SW110 Cam GoBox Top-Loader Food Pan Carrier, Black
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MD2IDJ1/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apip_wSLEUO4Yr33Hx

 

Inkbird ITC-308 Temperature Controller with IHC-200 Humidity Controller with Outlet f...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N56KEU6/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apip_NZ81vZx87ChAz

 

VIVOSUN Durable Waterproof Seedling Heat Mat Warm Hydroponic Heating Pad 10" x 20.75" MET Standard https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P7U259C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_BdnP1KryZdjx3

Pure Enrichment MistAire Travel -...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HCTYFLV?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

I saw posts about cost, so the Inkbird duo are $73 and work very well. 
 

The headache was the humidifier. The first two I tried had press-on power buttons. The problem is that the humidistat cant turn on the new press-on power buttons. I finally found a turn-dial power switch (not easy, as all small humidifiers have the cheaper press-on buttons) and, once turned on, the Inkbird can cycle the humidifier off and then on again. Use a small bottle of mineral water. 
 

Process

 

The koji isn’t that hard, and you of course need the humidistat and humidifier for it. I haven’t used dried. I used brown rice because my wife is gluten-free. 
 

The advantage of making your own koji is that you can use it in other ways, as the book suggests. Fried as croutons is nice. It is an odd apricot-y sweet taste and takes a bit of getting used to, but I personally like it (and my kids hate it, which means it must be good). And it’s great for the gut biome....

 

Be advised that you cannot use the chamber and plant mat for the garum - the mat won’t go above about 108°. After realizing that, I went to my oven, and I’m lucky enough to have an oven that has a Warm setting AND a Sabbath mode, so I could keep it going 24/7 (Warm mode shut off after 12 hours, and I had to reset, until I called Wolf and they mentioned Sabbath mode).

 

Otherwise, it’s straightforward. Saran Wrap for the anaerobic environment, with a slight gap to release gas. Stirring and fat removal every 3 days the first three weeks, then stirring once a week. Change the Saran Wrap each time. 

[adey73]

On 1/17/2019 at 11:29 AM, raptorsfan said:

Thanks for the replies @kayb and @jmolinari.

 

3. Roasted Chicken Wing Garum

original - 1.6kg chicken stock, 2kg roasted chicken wings, 450g fresh barley koji, 480g salt

modified - 1.6kg chicken stock, 2kg roasted chicken wings, 225g dried barley koji, 459g salt

 

Does this sound right?  I'll be preparing the ferments tomorrow.

 

 

 

Thanks again!

 

did you make this and did it work?