Homemade Shio-Koji (Salted Rice Malt) and Salt Pork

Name: Homemade Shio-Koji (Salted Rice Malt) and Salt Pork
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 400 grams Koji (freeze dried: available in Japanese supermarkets, or fresh koji); 140 grams Salt (30% of the weight of the koji); 400 ml + up to 200 ml Water; 1 as much (to taste) Pork belly (or pork shoulder or filet), block; 1 example: for 400 grams of pork use 2 to 3 tablespoons of shio-koji Shio-koji (about 10% of the weight of the meat)

cookpad.japan @cookpad_jp

Koji or rice malt is indispensable for making miso or amazake. The custom of making shio-koji or salt fermented rice malt has been around since olden times in the Tohoku region apparently. When the malt is fermented with salt, the edge is taken off the salt and it becomes sweet and well rounded - a magical salty flavoring ingredient. It's a multi-purpose ingredient. Use it instead of salt. The amino acids in the shio-koji help to tenderize meat and make it delicious.

As long as you have shio-koji, you just need to spread it on the meat. For thinly cut meat for yakiniku or chicken, you just need to let it marinate for 1 hour, up to half a day. The results are mildly salty and delicious! There are two types of "koji": one grows on soy beans, and the other on rice grains. Here we use the "koji" that is grown on steamed rice and then freeze-dried. You can buy this in bags at a Japanese supermarket. Recipe by kebeibiko

cookpad.japan @cookpad_jp

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Ingredients

For the shio koji:
400 gramsKoji (freeze dried: available in Japanese supermarkets, or fresh koji)
140 gramsSalt (30% of the weight of the koji)
400 ml+ up to 200 ml Water
For the salt pork:
1as much (to taste) Pork belly (or pork shoulder or filet), block
1example: for 400 grams of pork use 2 to 3 tablespoons of shio-koji Shio-koji (about 10% of the weight of the meat)

Saved

Steps

1

Make the shio-koji: Put the shio-koji ingredients in a storage container and leave at room temperature. Mix it up once a day. In 7 to 10 days, when it becomes thick and porridge-like and the rice grains start falling apart, it's done. Store in the refrigerator.
2

The innoculated rice grains (the koji) will absorb water as it matures, so keep adding more water every 2 to 3 days so that the grains are always covered. Add up to 1.5 times the amount of rice in water.
3

Make the salt pork: Spread the shio-koji evenly over the surface of the pork. Wrap in paper towels, then wrap again in plastic wrap. Put the wrapped meat in a plastic bag and refrigerate.
4

After 2 to 3 days the meat will be cured and become a pretty pink color. Moisture will come out of the meat too, so change the paper towels. The meat is ready to eat in 3 days, up to 10 days.
5

This pork has been cured for 10 days and cut into 1 cm thick slices. Just pan fry in a frying pan without any added oil over medium-low heat. Don't wipe the shio-koji off; it burns easily though so pay attention!
6

This is sliced pork roast that's been marinated in shio-koji for 3 hours. I served it with user Orangeday's "Avocado + Sake Lee Dip"for a double punch of koji.
7

This is Whole Tomatoes Marinated in Shio-Koji.
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/145365-marinated-tomato-with-shio-koji

Marinated Tomato with Shio-koji
8

Here are three more shio-koji recipes. Microwave-steamed Chicken Tenders; Sautéed Chicken; Bettara Daikon Radish.
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/155914-daikon-bettarazuke-with-shio-koji
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/153718-chicken-sauteed-in-shio-koji-served-with-tartar-sauce
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/156482-salad-with-microwave-steamed-chicken-tenders-daikon-sprouts

Daikon Bettarazuke with Shio-koji
9

With shio koji soboro: Yum Woon Sen with shio-koji soboro; Rice with shio-koji.
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/156180-seasoned-rice-with-shio-koji-soboro
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/156277-sea-bream-hijiki-seaweed-seasoned-rice-for-baby-food

Seasoned Rice with Shio-koji Soboro
10

Here are more shio-koji recipes. Nagaimo marinated in wasabi and shio-koji; Avocado marinated in shio-koji.
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/145384-avocado-pickled-in-shio-koji
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/145381-nagaimo-pickled-with-wasabi-and-shio-koji

Avocado Pickled in Shio-Koji
11

Shio koji in hot pots: Try a spicy hot tofu hot potor a koji and sake lees hot pot.
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/154295-shio-koji-sake-lees-hot-pot
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/155053-slightly-spicy-sesame-soy-milk-hot-pot

Shio-Koji & Sake Lees Hot Pot
12

Using shio-kojji and amazake homemade seasoning mixture. Sweet and savory shio-koji,.
https://cookpad.wasmer.app/us/recipes/145420-all-purpose-seasoning-with-shio-koji-%EF%BC%86-amazake-sweet-shio-koji

All-Purpose Seasoning with Shio-Koji ＆ Amazake Sweet Shio-Koji
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A lot of dried koji comes in 200 g packs, so you can just halve the water and salt if you are using one of those. However, dried koji absorbs a lot of water, so please keep adding more water when needed.