koji

[Guest guest]

Guru K,

Uh-oh. I'm not sure what you did will work out right. When I soaked and

then steamed the rice, it didn't get very moist. In fact, I thought the first

few batches were too dry. The recipe said to dry the rice on cloth after

soaking it, but I found it did better if I started steaming with the rice still

dripping. The steamed rice didn't expand much, and the grains mostly didn't

stick to each other. I don't think there will be enough air for a mold to grow

properly with the rice cooked in ordinary fashion. My best batches actually

grew mycelium that crossed the gaps between grains and bound them together

toward the end of the incubation. I wish you luck, but don't feel too bad if it

fails. Molds need air to grow.

I used a colander lined with cheesecloth to steam 6 cups of rice in a 2

gallon pot. The recipe from Gem cultures said to put 1 and 1/2 " of water in the

bottom off the pot and add more if boiled away. It also says to toast and then

cool 1/2 cup of flour to mix with the culture spores, that makes it easy to

handle and the rice doesn't stick together as much either while it's incubating.

Donna

[Guest guest]

Donna

I don't know what will happen to my " koji " . Your recipe makes

sense. I guess I will try that another time.

Thanks

GB

>

> Guru K,

> Uh-oh. I'm not sure what you did will work out right. When

I soaked and then steamed the rice, it didn't get very moist. In

fact, I thought the first few batches were too dry. The recipe said

to dry the rice on cloth after soaking it, but I found it did better

if I started steaming with the rice still dripping. The steamed

rice didn't expand much, and the grains mostly didn't stick to each

other. I don't think there will be enough air for a mold to grow

properly with the rice cooked in ordinary fashion. My best batches

actually grew mycelium that crossed the gaps between grains and

bound them together toward the end of the incubation. I wish you

luck, but don't feel too bad if it fails. Molds need air to grow.

> I used a colander lined with cheesecloth to steam 6 cups of

rice in a 2 gallon pot. The recipe from Gem cultures said to put 1

and 1/2 " of water in the bottom off the pot and add more if boiled

away. It also says to toast and then cool 1/2 cup of flour to mix

with the culture spores, that makes it easy to handle and the rice

doesn't stick together as much either while it's incubating.

Donna

>

>

[Guest guest]

I am not very sure what happend with you,GuruK.

I am just afraid that you had overheated KOJI somehow ?

We need to ventilate and cool when the inner temperature is at 40C.

The appropriate temp is 36C that is same as humans temp.

Cooling and Drying and Ventilation is the key rather than Warming koji.

Hope this helps,

isao

[Guest guest]

Since this " koji " did not turn out, I have a huge pot of rice and

powdered koji in the fridge. Does anyone have any ideas on what to

do with the rice? Can I eat it like it is or make something else out

of it?

Thanks

GB

>

> Donna

>

> I don't know what will happen to my " koji " . Your recipe makes

> sense. I guess I will try that another time.

>

> Thanks

> GB

\

[Guest guest]

>

> Since this " koji " did not turn out, I have a huge pot of rice and

> powdered koji in the fridge. Does anyone have any ideas on what to

> do with the rice? Can I eat it like it is or make something else out

> of it?

>

> Thanks

> GB

GB,

If you postpone your miso making this time, and you have some koji and

rice left, I would try making amazake or doburoku for now.

1 part of koji

1 part of rice

2 part of mineral water

10g of yogurt

mix well and keep them at 35C for 1 day

add 10g of yeast on the 2nd day

stir well once a day.

In 2,3 days if the whole mash start bubbling and fizzing,

koji or its enzyme is active.

You will be successful in making doburoku.

wait for 1 week to 10 days.

The above is just an alternative to reduce some of your stock of rice.

Surely you can eat them as is or stir fly or put into miso soup and

make some porrige.

I cheer you up to get some koji or koji-kin to restart makin koji and

miso soon.

Take care,

isao

[Guest guest]

Do you have to buy Koji starter from one of the two sites that Ross posted

or is there a way for me to make my own?

Janelle

[Guest guest]

There are several Japanese supermarkets in big cities.

You may want to call them if they carry frozen or refregerated KOJI.

I googled and came up with MITSUWA markets in Chicago,Uwajimaya in

Seattle...likewise.

You may want to contact them direct and ask about it.

As far as you want to incubate KOJI by yourself, you would need KOJI-KIN

that is asperi... Olizae and they have various stocks of how they break

into the surface of rice coat.

You may want to call upto sake factory and ask if they can share their

KOJI for home fermentation.

Take care,

Isao

[Guest guest]

Back in November 2007, Guru K wrote:

>I used the link for the recipe for koji you gave me. I had to make

>it but I changed lots of things since I need it now. [...]

How did it all end? From reading the thread, it sounded like you had

some trouble. Did you get it sorted out?

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

" Let the laddie play wi the knife - he'll learn "

- The Wee Book of Calvin

[Guest guest]

G'day GB,

>I am trying to make koji starter. I have " The Book of Miso " . I have

>koji rice. It is dry. I put about 1/2 cup in a jar with warm water

>and covered it and wrapped it in a blanket. Am I doing this right so

>far?

So you got dried koji rice, not the koji-kin powder?

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

" Let the laddie play wi the knife - he'll learn "

- The Wee Book of Calvin

[Guest guest]

Ross

I have dried koji rice, not the koji-kin powder. Iread in the " Book

of Miso " that people can make it, although it did not really give

instructions.

GB

>

> G'day GB,

>

> >I am trying to make koji starter. I have " The Book of Miso " . I

have

> >koji rice. It is dry. I put about 1/2 cup in a jar with warm

water

> >and covered it and wrapped it in a blanket. Am I doing this right

so

> >far?

>

> So you got dried koji rice, not the koji-kin powder?

> --

> Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

> " Let the laddie play wi the knife - he'll learn "

> - The Wee Book of Calvin

>

[Guest guest]

G'day GB,

>I have dried koji rice, not the koji-kin powder. Iread in the " Book

>of Miso " that people can make it, although it did not really give

>instructions.

I've never tried to use that one. I reckon you must just mix it into

some cooked rice, cooled to about blood temperature (~40°C), then spread

it thinly (about 1-2cm) so that it the spore can access oxygen. Cover

with something like cling-wrap or aluminium foil, puncture that with

lots of holes to allow oxygen exchange, and keep it somewhere warm and

it should go all fuzzy

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

The planet is in a pickle, but fermenting will help save us

[Guest guest]

> I am trying to make koji starter. I have " The Book of Miso " . I have

> koji rice. It is dry. I put about 1/2 cup in a jar with warm water

> and covered it and wrapped it in a blanket. Am I doing this right so

> far?

>

> Thanks

> GB

>

To make koji starter from dried koji ?

Yes,it is one of right ways.

But where do you want go with it ?

Makin bread,making miso,sake, or anything else ?

Take care,

isao

[Guest guest]

> Ross

Thanks for the advice. I will try it that way. I think I would prefer

the cling wrap method since I do not like to use aluminum. I

appreciate it.

GB

> I've never tried to use that one. I reckon you must just mix it into

> some cooked rice, cooled to about blood temperature (~40°C), then

spread

> it thinly (about 1-2cm) so that it the spore can access oxygen. Cover

> with something like cling-wrap or aluminium foil, puncture that with

> lots of holes to allow oxygen exchange, and keep it somewhere warm and

> it should go all fuzzy

> --

> Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

> The planet is in a pickle, but fermenting will help save us

>

[Guest guest]

Isao,

I want to make miso with the koji. As I understand it, I need to

first make the koji starter to generate the spores, etc. The take

the starter and dry it and grind it. Then soak the rice and steam the

rice and add the starter with a little flour. I would then cover it

with cloth and wrap it up to keep warm and mix up every few hours

until white threads form. After that I can make the miso. I hope

this is right. Please let me know otherwise.

Thanks

GB

> To make koji starter from dried koji ?

> Yes,it is one of right ways.

> But where do you want go with it ?

> Makin bread,making miso,sake, or anything else ?

>

> Take care,

> isao

>

[Guest guest]

GB,

This is a good time for me to check about dried koji,too.

So I did here.

Dried koji is dehydrated koji,literally,dried.

So koji-kin is in a sleep mode in the spores.

By soaking back with proper moisturing, dried koji gets back to nama-

koji (koji starter).

Here are some points and suggestions.

1.Spread dried koji on top of a larger flat plate.

2.Prepare water or luke warm water, not hot water (koji-kin will die)

The recommended amount of water for one dried koji product is

Rice Koji 800g to 200cc water

Mugi (barkey) Koji 700g to 300cc water

Soya (soybean) Koji 600g to 400cc water

3.Stir well every 15 minutes so that the water delivered evenly.

4.Rice koji and Barley koji can be used as Raw koji(starter) 1 hour

later, Soya koji 4 hours later.

Note: please follow your dried koji product instruction,

some dried koji canbe used as is without hydration.

Use rehydrated dried koji in a day.

Over.

Take care,

isao

[Guest guest]

I have some koji starter and soaked it in water then left it out for

a few days so it can ferment or " cure " some more. It developed a

hairy mold. Can it be saved if I take off the top half inch or so?

Thanks

GB

[Guest guest]

> I've wished there was an easier way than trying to locate koji (such as using

Sake), but I don't think this is possible.

Bekkha,

Fermenting without koji to saccarize rice starch to sugar is possible.

Just for the scientific curiosity,there are shinto legends that young virgin

girls were used to chew rice and mix with saliva and spit to pot to make white

sake to present to the nature god or wife of a man did so to treat her husband

with sake.

Saliva saccarides ! But this is just an information. and nobody would ever want

to try my sake if my saliva is used including myself. ;-D

But some experiments shows it really works. And makes good sake.

Another thing is using germination of rice to saccarides.

I will mention about this some other time.

take care,

isao

[Guest guest]

That is too funny Isao. At least the virgin girls were only asked to chew, not

give up their lives. :-)

Do you know another way to make Amasake than with koji?

Bekkha

>

> > I've wished there was an easier way than trying to locate koji (such as

using Sake), but I don't think this is possible.

>

> Bekkha,

> Fermenting without koji to saccarize rice starch to sugar is possible.

>

> Just for the scientific curiosity,there are shinto legends that young virgin

girls were used to chew rice and mix with saliva and spit to pot to make white

sake to present to the nature god or wife of a man did so to treat her husband

with sake.

> Saliva saccarides ! But this is just an information. and nobody would ever

want to try my sake if my saliva is used including myself. ;-D

> But some experiments shows it really works. And makes good sake.

>

> Another thing is using germination of rice to saccarides.

> I will mention about this some other time.

>

> take care,

> isao

>

[Guest guest]

> Just for the scientific curiosity,there are shinto legends that young virgin

girls were used to chew rice and mix with saliva and spit to pot to make white

sake to present to the nature god or wife of a man did so to treat her husband

with sake.

> Saliva saccarides ! But this is just an information. and nobody would ever

want to try my sake if my saliva is used including myself. ;-D

> But some experiments shows it really works. And makes good sake.

>

> isao

>

In the book Wild Fermentation, Sandor Katz wrote about chica, which is beer made

by people in the Andes who chew and spit out corn and saliva. So this must

work!

I think koji is available through Gem Cultures online.

Nance

[Guest guest]

Thank you for the Gem Culture suggestion Nance. )

Bekkha

>

>

>

>

> > Just for the scientific curiosity,there are shinto legends that young virgin

girls were used to chew rice and mix with saliva and spit to pot to make white

sake to present to the nature god or wife of a man did so to treat her husband

with sake.

> > Saliva saccarides ! But this is just an information. and nobody would ever

want to try my sake if my saliva is used including myself. ;-D

> > But some experiments shows it really works. And makes good sake.

> >

> > isao

> >

>

> In the book Wild Fermentation, Sandor Katz wrote about chica, which is beer

made by people in the Andes who chew and spit out corn and saliva. So this must

work!

>

> I think koji is available through Gem Cultures online.

>

> Nance

>