How to Cook Tasty Shio-Koji & Amazake Toma-tofu

How to Cook Tasty Shio-Koji & Amazake Toma-tofu Delicious, fresh and tasty.

Shio-Koji & Amazake Toma-tofu. Shio koji is a Japanese cure/marinade made by fermenting grain koji (cooked grain, traditionally rice, that has been inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae, the mold that gives us miso, soy sauce, and sake), water, and salt until the mixture thickens to a porridge-like consistency and takes on a sweet, funky aroma. Miso and Japanese soy sauce, made by culturing pulses and grains for many. Shio koji is primarily used as a marinade for poultry, meat, and seafood.

Shio koji is an ingredient in Japanese cooking with a history of at least a few hundred years.

Koji (also known as koji-kin) is a fungus or mold used to ferment foods or make alcoholic beverages.

The term koji can also refer to the fermented food itself, for example, the end product that is created when the mold and grain (rice, soybean, etc.) are broken down.

You can cook Shio-Koji & Amazake Toma-tofu using 6 ingredients and 8 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Shio-Koji & Amazake Toma-tofu

1. You need 200 ml of Soy milk.

2. Prepare 100 ml of Tomato juice (unsalted).

3. You need 1 tbsp of Amazake Shio-Koji.

4. Prepare 2 of and 1/2 teaspoons Agar (or 8 agar pearls).

5. It’s 1 of Olive oil.

6. Prepare 1 of Gourmet salt.

Used in Japan for centuries as a seasoning or ingredient, shio koji has seen resurgence in popularity in recent years with the increased interest in fermented foods.

The enzymes contained in shio koji break down proteins to pull out umami flavors and this process also contributes to tenderizing meat and fish.

This page is about shio koji, its benefits in cooking, and how to make it at home.

Shio koji (塩麹, 塩糀) is a natural seasoning used to marinate, tenderize, and enhance the umami, or richness (one of the five basic tastes) in foods.

Shio-Koji & Amazake Toma-tofu step by step

1. [Amazake Shio-Koji] is made by adding 1 part shio-koji to 2 parts amazake. If you dont have any amazake, substitute it with 1 teaspoon shio-koji to 1-1.5 teaspoons mirin..

2. Combine the agar and the Amazake Shio-Koji in a small pan and mix together well. Agar tends to form lumps, so make sure to thoroughly stir..

3. Add the tomato juice to the mixture, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat to dissolve the agar; (the temperature should be brought to at least 90℃, otherwise the agar wont set later). Reduce the heat to low and add the soy milk..

4. After adding the soy milk, heat the mixture (dont allow it to boil) until it reaches 70-80℃ while continuously stirring. Whilst the mixture is still warm, divide it into individual serving dishes..

5. The tofu will set at room temperature, so dont leave it in the pan! If it's winter, the tofu will start to set very quickly..

6. Once cooled, chill in the refrigerator. Add a dash of olive oil or a pinch of salt before serving..

7. [Agar] Agar is made from red algae. It has properties that lie somewhere between gelatin, which is an animal-based product, and kanten agar, which is made from other species of red algae. Agar will result in a smooth, vegetable-based jelly..

8. Normally when using agar, you should add 100 ml water per 4 g teaspoon. If you dont have agar, you can use gelatin and use 5 g per 100 ml instead..

It's made of just a few simple ingredients: salt, water, and rice koji.

The brown rice shio-koji is a bit sweeter, but also a little grainier.

I mixed it with a hand blender for a creamier consistency.

Shio Koji translates to "salt mold" and is a type of fungus.

Shio koji typically refers to a mixture of short-grain white rice and fermented sea salt.