Shio Koji is not uncommon in Japanese cooking. In fact, its rustic nature goes beyond oriental cooking and successfully made its way into western cooking.
Learn how to include this special ingredient into your everyday meal, explore what constitutes shio koji, its versatile uses and for those who’d like to try it hands-on, shio koji making at home!
What is Shio Koji?
“You can’t talk about Japanese cooking without talking about koji,” says Sonoko Sakai, author of Japanese Home Cooking.
Shio Koji, also known as Salt Koji, is made up of rice koji, salt, and rice. Shio koji has been widely used in Japan with ancient origins as a seasoning or ingredient, particularly for fermented foods.
Why is Shio Koji getting a revival of interest? We believe it’s the versatile use for meat or fish tenderizer, for making sauces, dressings, pickles and more, that drives the culture. Besides, chefs have dedicated themselves to making poultry and meat extraordinarily juicy with this game-changing ingredient!
The fruity fermented scent with a hint of sweetness, parallel to mirin or sweet miso is unlike any other. What constitutes the umami flavors in Shio Koji is entirely natural. The enzymes break down starches in rice koji, allowing the sweetness released during the culturing process to take centre stage.
Shio Koji primarily has a porridge-like texture and consistency. Depending on the fermentation time and water content, shio koji presents itself in various forms such as powdered, puree, paste or close to solid.
How to Use Shio Koji
Shio Koji is an all-star! First, it acts as a great addition for marinating. Smear shio koji on salmon, set it in the fridge for a short time (preferably less than a day), then wipe it off and cook the fish.
Repeat the same steps for red meat, except marinate it for a day or two. That is, weighing the meat on a gram scale, then using one tenth its weight in shio koji. Alternatively, substitute two teaspoons of shio koji for every teaspoon of salt.
Similarly, marinate vegetables before roasting, grilling or saute-ing. Feel free to make use of olive oil, lime juice and roasted garlic puree as a combination for marinating mushrooms, broccoli, carrots and more.
Care for some hearty stock? Shio koji doesn’t disappoint by being a popular option for chicken stock. Enthusiasts use it to marinate roasted chicken bones overnight, then braise the bones for one hour. You can be certain that shio Koji works wonder to unlock the savory depth of the dish.
We’ve also observed how Shio Koji can be used for baked goods and ice cream bases. Let’s get to making shio koji, at the comfort of your abode!
How to Make Shio Koji
How to Make Shio Koji (Salt Koji)
Equipment
- Glass Container or Air Tight Bottle
Instructions
- Put the malted rice into the container.
- Add the salt into the container.
- Shake the container to mix the ingredients well.
- Add the water.
- Close the lid and shake well.
- Let the salt koji ferment for 5-7 days at room temperature.
Tutorial Video
4. Important Points
● To ensure the content remains clean, use Shio Koji for your cooking directly from the honey container.
● Shio Koji should be stored in the refrigerator after fermentation.
● When mixing the containers, close both the inner lid and the outer cap.
● Use two different containers for cooking and fermenting in rotation to enjoy delicious Shio Koji.
● For convenience sake, write a sticky note on the container to be reminded about the expiration date.
● During fermentation, gas may be released. Please do not seal the container tightly. (You can seal it tightly after storage in the refrigerator)
Shio Koji Recipes
Sweet Potatoes with Shio-koji and Honey Butter
Instructions
- Cut the sweet potato into bite sizes and soak in water. Drain and put in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 3 minutes at 500 W.
- Melt butter in a pan and brown the surface of the sweet potatoes.
- Mix honey and shio-koji, coat the potatoes with the mixture and serve. Enjoy!
Steak With Shio Koji Marinade
Ingredients
- 100 gr Beef thigh
- 1 tbsp Shio Koji
- 1 tsp Ponzu
Instructions
- Marinate the beef with shio-koji and leave it for 1/2-1 day.
- Pre-heat the frying pan for 10 minutes and then pan-fry Step 1 according to your preferences. Cut into bite-sized pieces and pour on the ponzu.
- Serve with vegetable side or salad. Enjoy!
Shio-koji Cupcakes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine the cake flour and baking powder and sift. Crack the egg open into a bowl, add the sugar, and mix well.
- Add the shio-koji and mix well.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients and fold in with a rubber spatula until there are no flour streaks.
- Add the vegetable oil and mix to incorporate.
- Pour into cups and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180℃ for 15 minutes.
Shio Koji FAQ
Recommended Products
Be sure to check out our recommended products below so you can start making your own shio koji!
