Shio Koji 塩糀

Description

Shio koji 塩糀 means salt koji. It’s a traditional Japanese umami-rich all-purpose seasoning, marinade and tenderizer. The live enzymes in shio koji break down proteins (at the same time tenderizes) and starches to pull out the umami and sweetness from the ingredients.

Our shio koji is salty, umami and slightly sweet. It has a porridge-like texture with grainy broken koji rice and is sweet-smelling. The broken koji rice is naturally occurring during fermentation and we choose to maintain this natural texture instead of blending the shio koji into a paste.

This handcrafted shio koji is made with koji rice (Aspergillus Oryzae), sea salt, cooked filtered water and especially time and effort. It’s fermented in glass vessels (no plastics) and bottled in glass jars. To maintain the rich raw living enzymes, the shio koji is unheated and unpasteurised.

Substitute regular salt for shio koji in your everyday cooking. Use it in meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, tofu, soup stock base, making pickles, baked goods and more! To use: Kindly stir/mix well before using as there may be a separated layer.

Ingredients: Rice koji (Aspergillus oryzae), cooked filtered water and sea salt.

Net weight: 240g
Packaging: Glass bottle
Shelf life: Consume within 12 months (refrigerated). Fermented food will last beyond the recommended best by date as long as you keep its environment as is.

FAQs:
1. The ship koji jar that I received is leaking / difficult to open the lid / overflows when I open it. Is this normal?
These are the natural behaviors of fermented food, not only shio koji. When you received the shio koji, the bottle has been in warm temperature for a few days (how long depends on the delivery mode). As the fermentation process is more active in warm weather, it may cause leaking during delivery and/or when the jar is open for the first time, it may overflow. The pressure may also cause the lid difficult to open.

We recommend refrigerating the bottle upon receipt for a couple of hours. Then, open the bottle carefully over a large plate/bowl to catch any overflows. If you still have trouble opening the bottle, kindly contact us.

2. What type of utensil can I use to scoop the shio koji?
Use wood, bamboo, ceramic or glass spoon. Always use a clean and dry spoon and it’s important not to double-dip.

3. How much shio koji should I use to season/marinate/tenderize/pickles/etc?
As taste is a subjective thing, when first using shio koji, kindly test it out with 1/2 teaspoon of shio koji while cooking. Taste test it and then add more or less. This way you can estimate how much you need from thereon. It’s just like when you’re using different kinds of salt sizes (coarse, fine, etc), you would need to estimate it at first. For e.g. I would use about 1/2 teaspoon of shio koji for an egg.

*Note: Our ferments will vary in taste, texture and color with each bottle and batch. Keep refrigerated.