shio koji

Delicious simmered kabocha squash flavored with the popular Japanese seasoning shio koji (rice koji and salt), resulting in unique umami flavor.

Simmered Kabocha With Shio Koji

oz kabocha (squash/pumpkin) ((12 oz = 340 g))

Tbsp Hikari Miso Shio Koji

Water

Simmered Kabocha with Shio Koji

Cut the kabocha into 1-inch cubes and put into a medium saucepan.

Add just enough water to completely cover kabocha, and add Hikari Miso Shio Koji.

Bring to a boil then lower the heat to simmer. Cook the kabocha until a skewer goes through smoothly, about 4-5 minutes.

Cover with a lid and set aside to allow the flavor to slowly be absorbed. &nbsp;Let the kabocha squash cook slowly with the residual heat while it absorbs flavor from the shio koji. If you overcook the kabocha squash, it will get mushy and lose its shape and appeal. &nbsp;You can serve this dish cold, at room temperature, or warm.

Japanese Ingredient Highlight: Shio koji (塩麹, 塩糀). A century-old natural seasoning used in Japanese cooking to marinate, tenderize, and enhance umami flavor of a dish. Learn more about this all-purpose seasoning.

How To Make Shio Koji

200 g rice koji ((7.05 oz))

salt

water

Gather all the ingredients.

In a large bowl, break and separate the koji grains into smaller pieces.

Rub the koji firmly in hands to separate into individual grains.

Rub the koji until aromatic, add salt and mix all together.

Add water.  If necessary, add more water if it doesn't cover the surface of koji.  Rub the koji with your hands.

Transfer to sterilized jar(s)/container with a lid.  Make sure the shio koji are submerged in water, if not, add more water.

Ferment the shio koji at room temperature, open the lid and mix it once a day for 1 week during summers and 2 weeks during winters (as warmth temperature speeds up the ripening process). Add a bit of water if the shio koji is too hard.  It might taste salty at the beginning, but it will gradually become mild.  Shio Koji will become thicker and begin to smell sweet from the fermentation.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

With Shio Koji, a natural seasoning used in Japanese cooking, you can make EASY &amp; DELICIOUS Shio Koji Chicken in no time with just 4 ingredients!

Shio Koji Chicken

boneless, skin-on chicken thighs

soy sauce

black pepper

Combine shio koji and soy sauce in a bowl or measuring cup.

Season both sides of the chicken thighs with freshly ground black pepper.

Pour the shio koji mixture and coat the chicken well on both sides. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (minimum) to 3 hours.

To Marinate

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Remove the shio koji as much as possible and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

If your oven doesn&#x27;t come with the temperature probe, you can use a ThermoWorks Chef Alarm. Insert the stem of the probe into the thickest part of the chicken, or in the center of the chicken if it is even in thickness.

Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches to 165ºF (74ºC), roughly 25 minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked through, change the oven setting from Bake to Broil. Broil the chicken until the skin has nice char, about 3-5 minutes (depends on how far the chicken is from the heat source). Remove from the oven.

Cut the chicken thigh into 4 pieces (if you eat with chopsticks) and serve immediately.

To Bake

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for 2-3 months.

To Store

Simple yet deeply flavorful, Shio Koji Salmon is the best way to enjoy the Omega-rich fish.  It&#039;s as easy as marinating salmon in shio koji (a natural salt-based seasoning) overnight and broil to perfection.

Shio Koji Salmon

salmon

Tbsp shio koji

Pat dry the salmon with a paper towel to remove any moisture. Put shio koji on salmon fillets. It doesn&#039;t have to be precise amount, just enough to coat the salmon.

Distribute shio koji to all sides of salmon, including the skin. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Depending on the thickness of the salmon, the marinate time may vary. If you have a thin piece, you can marinate it for a few hours. For thick pieces like mine, I recommend overnight. If you want to freeze the uncooked salmon, you must store the marinated salmon in an airtight freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to a month.

To Marinate Salmon

Line a baking sheet with foil. Set the broiler on &quot;High&quot; with a rack placed about 8 inches (20 cm) from the top heating element (I use the middle rack of my oven) and preheat for 5 minutes. When broiling, you don&#039;t control the temperature in the oven; instead, you control the distance between the broiler and the surface of the food. It&#039;s similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill. My broiler setting is Low (450ºF/232ºC), Medium (500ºF/260ºC), and High (550ºF/288ºC). I usually use the medium (6&quot; away) or high (8&quot; away).

Using your hands, wipe off shio koji from the salmon fillet. Shio koji gets burn easily, so it’s best to remove it completely from the salmon. Place the salmon on the prepared baking sheet, 1-2 inches apart from each other.

Broil the salmon for 10 minutes. NOTE: The cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the fish and the distance between the broiler and the food. When the top is nicely charred, take it out from the oven.

Flip so the side of the salmon is now up. Place the salmon back in the oven, and broil again for another 5-8 minutes until the thickest part of the fillet reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (63ºC) using an instant-read cooking thermometer. Serve warm or at room temperature.

To Broil Salmon

Preheat the oven to 425°F (218ºC) with a rack placed in the center of the oven. For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Bake the salmon for 15 minutes, or until the surface is blistered and brown a bit. You do not need to flip the fish. Note: 5 minutes per ½-inch thickness of salmon (measure at the thickest).

To Bake Salmon

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for 1 month.

A typical use of Shio Kōji is to marinate meat or fish. Even 1 hour of marinating meat in Shio Kōji makes the meat tender and brings out better flavour. And you don&#39;t need a lot of it to marinate.Cook Time assumes the pork slices are cooked in 2 batches. Marinating Time is the minimum required for marinating thin pork steaks.Don&#39;t forget to see the section &#39;MEAL IDEAS&#39; below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.

Shio Kōji Pork Sauté

pork

tbsp

Pepper

tbsp oil

Baby leaf salad

Sliced radish

Spread Shio Kōji on both sides of pork slices. Leave it for 1 hour (note 3).

Sprinkle pepper over the pork slices.

Add ½ tablespoon of oil to a non-stick frying pan (note 3). Heat over medium high heat.

Place 3 slices of pork in a pan (note 4).  Cook for about 1-1½ minutes (note 5).

Turn pork slices over and cook further 30 seconds (note 5). Transfer the pork slices to a plate and loosely cover them with foil.

Clean the frying pan as there will be a lot of burnt Shio Kōji bits on the pan. Kitchen paper should remove the burnt bits if the non-stick pan is in good condition. If the burnt bits do not come off easily, quickly wash the pan and wipe.

Repeat the steps 3 to 5 for the second batch.

Place the salad on one side of the serving plates and scatter the radish slices over the salad.

Place two slices of sautéed pork next to the salad and serve while hot.

Making pickles in this way is one of the simplest - you can make them in an hour if you are in a hurry. Even if the pickling time is only 2 hours, the pickled cucumbers are so tasty and full of umami. Specks of white grains from the koji are pretty on the green cucumbers.Total Time assumes the pickling time is 2 hours, which is the shortest time.Please see the post Shio Kōji Recipes – Pork Sauté and Pickled Cucumbers for Meal Ideas using today&#39;s dish.

Cucumbers Pickled in Shio Kōji

/ 0.6lb cucumbers ((note 1))

1½ tbsp Shio Koji ((note 2))

mirin ((optional, note 3))

Cut both ends of the cucumbers off. Slice each cucumber diagonally into 7mm / ¼” thick pieces.

Place the cucumber slices in a zip lock bag.

Add Shio Kōji and mirin (if using) to the bag and massage the bag well, ensuring that all cucumber pieces are coated in Shio Kōji.

Remove air from the bag as much as possible and seal the bag.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Shio koji accentuates the flavor of chicken simmered to perfection. With rosemary and oregano in a white wine broth, this braised chicken will tantalize the palate.

Braised Herb Chicken with Shio Koji

lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs ((roughly 4 pieces))

garlic ((minced/crushed))

Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)

paprika

½ tsp dried rosemary ((or 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary))

½ tsp dried oregano ((or 1 Tbsp fresh oregano))

Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

carrot ((cut into 2 inch (5 cm) thick slices))

onion

chicken broth

dry white wine

lb red potatoes ((small))

Put the chicken, shio koji, and garlic in a large plastic bag and massage ingredients together. Marinate in the bag for 30 minutes. You can marinate the chicken for up to 2-3 hours. You can also experiment with different herbs!

Add flour, paprika and herbs to the bag and shake to coat.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Place chicken (skin side down) and remaining marinade into the Dutch over.

Cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly brown.

Add carrot and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add broth, wine, and potatoes and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer covered for 40 minutes or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender.

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month.

Shio Koji is a special marinade that can reduce your salt consumption

Shio Koji

Umami Chef Koji

Salt

500 ml Water (boiled then cooled)

Mix all the ingredients together

Blend to form a smooth paste

Use immediately, or for a deeper flavour, leave in a clean jar at room temperature to ferment for one week. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Z-0wPLX3o

It takes less than a minute to make shio koji...then just leave it at room temperature for 7 - 10 days before use.

Shio koji has the ability to improve the flavour of almost everything. I now use it to replace salt in all my cooking - it adds a depth of flavour, whilst reducing the amount of salt needed.

Shio koji really shines when used as a marinade for meat - just coat overnight and the koji will break down the protein in the meat to make it more tender and packed with extra flavour.

To make just mix 500ml water, 50g salt (I used super fine salt as it dissolves really quickly) and 1 pack koji

How to make Shio Koji

Top 8 shio koji recipes from across the web

The most viewed shio koji recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Simmered Kabocha With Shio Koji

How To Make Shio Koji

Shio Koji Chicken

Shio Koji Salmon

Shio Kōji Pork Sauté

Cucumbers Pickled in Shio Kōji

Braised Herb Chicken with Shio Koji

Shio Koji

Top 8 shio koji recipes from across the web

The most viewed shio koji recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Simmered Kabocha With Shio Koji

How To Make Shio Koji

Shio Koji Chicken

Shio Koji Salmon

Shio Kōji Pork Sauté

Cucumbers Pickled in Shio Kōji

Braised Herb Chicken with Shio Koji

Shio Koji

The most viewed shio koji recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine