Can I make my own koji?

Can I make my own koji?

You either need the pure Aspergillus Oryzae spores or Koji tane. A white powder that is spores mixed with rice flour or blended dried rice koji that has fully spored. If you buy pure spores you need to mix it with lightly toasted white flour that’s been cooled down.

Can you grow koji without a spore starter?

Though it is possible to culture koji without a starter, it can be challenging for beginners to determine whether the cultured mold is the right species. If this is your first time making koji culture, it is safer to purchase a koji culture starter and get a feel for the mold before collecting your own spores.

Can I make koji in dehydrator?

Sprinkle the koji spores once the grain is cooled. Gently toss so that the spores are evenly dispersed. Set your dehydrator to between 80° and 90°. Place the grain and spore mixture on the dehydrator trays.

How long do koji spores last?

For fresh koji at room temperature, you want to use it within the day you make it. It’s fine refrigerated for about a week, but if you want to keep it longer than that, you can freeze it, and it keeps for a pretty long time, about six months to a year. You can also dry it.

How is koji-kin made?

If you’ve made koji rice or barley, then making koji-kin is easy. All you need to do is culture the koji mold until it spores. Allow the koji-kin to culture for more than 48 hours. You will know that the koji-kin has spored when your koji turns from white to greenish-grey.

Can you make koji from miso?

This is where the addictive and delicious taste of miso, shoyu, and garum comes from! For fermenting proteins: ⇒ Choose a koji starter for miso, or get a ready-made koji. ⇒ There are also specialized strains of koji for shoyu (soy sauce) where the mould can grow directly on the legumes.

Why is my koji green?

The green color is mold spores. Once the koji is green, remove the damp towel, and allow the koji rice to dry out in the incubator. After the rice has completely dried out, store it in the freezer.

What rice do you use for koji?

white rice
The mold, scientifically called Aspergillus Oryzae, is usually inoculated on all kinds of steamed grains like rice, soy, or barley. Rice koji is a type of koji that is made using white rice as the base. This type of koji is the most famous one.

Can you propagate koji?

To propagate koji from these rice, the easiest method is to blend or grind the rice and sieve the powdered koji rice onto fresh rice. 1g of koji spores should be enough to inoculate 1kg of rice. In Japan, koji is typically cultivated in cedar trays which are never washed and constantly reused.