about enzymes in the kitchen

Koji enzymes can of course also be found in miso and other products, but typical kitchen helpers used for food preparation or other fermentation processes are enzyme cereals (komekoji, genmaikoji, mugikoji) and an enzymatic salty marinade shiokoji.

Enzymatic cereal

• Rice (or barley) covered and overgrown with koji fungus, which is then dried at temperatures below 50°C to prevent the degradation of valuable enzymes
• Suitable for preparing your own miso, shiokoji, amazake or for meat "aging"

Shiokoji

• Marinade suitable for both fish and white meat (typically marinates for several hours) as well as for red meat (marinates overnight in a cool place), which tenderizes the meat and gives it an unmistakable umami flavor
• Also suitable for pickling vegetables or for vegetable salads, dressings, etc.

To give you an idea of the art of enzymes in reality, we offer a small tasting, which you can find in our recipes.

Meat "aging" with komekoji

• Mix the komekoji with a stick blender or grind into a fine flour in a mortar
• Coat the steak or other meat in flour and place it in the refrigerator
• Let it sit for 1-2 days and then remove the rest of the komekoji from the meat
• Meat is tenderized as when it has been aging for a long time and is ready for your favorite recipe

Preparation of amazake pudding

• Cook the rice and let it cool to about 40-50°C
• Add the dried komekoji (we recommend a 1:5 ratio) and mix
• Place it in a rice cooker or oven, set the temperature to 50-60°C and let it sit for 6-8 hours
• You can also mix or season the resulting pudding with nuts

The more komekoji you use, the higher the temperature you set, or the longer you leave the rice in the oven, the sweeter the pudding will be. It's alchemy, but beautiful and delicious.