Koji - Amazake

To make miso you’ll need koji. Koji is steamed polished rice or barley inoculated with the Aspergillus oryzae culture. It is responsible for the fermentation process of miso and a number of other fermented foods such as sake, rice vinegar, amazake, and soy sauce. Its function is to convert starch, protein, and fats to their simpler easier to digest compounds (sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, and glycerol), transforming the original food into new food and releasing beneficial nutrients in the process. Nature at work!

Our specific cultures can be used for amazake, rice milk, light and dark rice miso, sake, shio koji, and pickles.

The basic difference between the types of koji is the ratios of the enzymes they contain: amylase (breaks down carbohydrates), protease (breaks down protein), and lipase (breaks down fats) are the most common. For example, Amazake Koji has a higher ratio of amylase (breaking down carbohydrates), Long Term Koji has a higher ratio of protease (breaking down proteins), and Short Term Koji has a more balanced ratio of enzymes making it more of an “all-purpose” koji.

The reason we use the terms “short term” and “long term” is because in recipes that use Short Term Koji, the ratio of koji to soybeans is higher, making it ferment in a short period of time and Long Term Koji is used when the ratio of beans is lower, making it ferment over a long period of time.

The package includes directions that tell you how to use it.

Ingredients: 100% Lightly polished organic brown rice, Aspergillus oryzae

Keep cool and dry. For long-term storage keep refrigerated or frozen.

1lb