You can make soybean koji using just one electric cooking pot that can both steam and keep food warm.
*Electric cooking pots, also known as automatic cooking pots, are cooking appliances that can be used at home to make stews, steamed dishes, and a variety of fermented foods such as koji, amazake, and tempeh.
Barley koji is often used to make Japanese fermented food like miso and soy sauce.
Ingredients
No steamer or koji lid is required. All you need are these ingredients and tools:
- 200g Soybeans
- 1g Koji starter
- 10g Roasted grain flour
- 1 Steaming cloth
- 1 Sheet of cloth
- 2 Bleached cloth
- Thermometer
- Tea strainer (You can also use a straining can)
- Rice paddle
The Process of Making Soybean Koji
| Preparation the day before | ・Wash the soybeans ・Soak the washed soybeans in water |
| Day 1 | ・Drain the washed soybeans thoroughly. ・Steam the soybeans using the “Steam” setting of your electric cooking pot. ・Remove the steamed soybeans and sprinkle with koji starter (seeding). ・Wrap the soybeans in a cloth and keep it warm using the “Keep Warm” setting of your electric cooking pot. ・First koji maintenance |
| Day 2 | ・Second koji maintenance |
| Day 3 | ・Completion of koji |
How to Make
1. Wash the Soybeans
Wash the soybeans thoroughly.
2. Soaking
Soak the soybeans in clean water. Since soybeans will double in size when they absorb water, make sure to soak them in plenty of water. The recommended soaking time is about 24 hours at 20°C.
3. Drain
Place the soybeans in a colander and leave for about an hour to drain the water thoroughly.
4. Preparing the Electric Cooking Pot
Pour water into the inner pot and place a steaming plate on it.
5. Prepare for Steaming
Wrap the soybeans in a steaming cloth and place on a steaming plate.
6. Steaming
Tightly close the lid of the electric cooking pot. Make sure the pressure release valve is set to sealed. Press the “Steam” button and set the time to 40 minutes. After a while, the temperature and pressure will rise and the countdown will begin.
7. Cool the Soybeans
Once the soybeans are steamed, they are spread out on a food grade cloth while still hot to remove the moisture.
8. Seeding with Koji Starter
Mix the koji starter and roasted grain flour together.
Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the soybeans, and when it reaches about 35°C, sprinkle the koji starter.
9. Wrapping
Wrap it in a cloth such as food grade polypropylene cloth, then wrap it in a cotton cloth such as bleached cloth. Insert a thermometer to check the temperature during fermentation.
10. Fermentation
Just like step 4, pour water into the inner pot and place a steaming tray on it. (If there is enough water left after steaming, you can leave it as is.)
Place the wrapped soybeans on a steaming plate.
Press the “Keep Warm” button, set the temperature to 30°C, and the time to 48 hours.
11. Maintenance
Keep the soybean temperature at around 30°C, and clean it when the temperature rises. If the outer bleached cloth is damp, replace it.
12. Finishing
The koji is ready approximately 42-50 hours after the start of the process. Green spores will appear on the surface of the soybeans. When the soybeans start to break apart, the koji is ready.
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