Blog » Shio Koji

If you know me, you know I'm all about abbrevs. Life's too short (L.T.S.) - so whether it's S.G. (Sake Gumi), U.M. (Umami Mart) or B.B. (Berkeley Bowl), I'll refer to things in every day life with its abbreviation.  In addition to it...

I've been on a bit of a lentils kick and I'm afraid I will turn into a life-sized lentil by the time I complete this blog post (I am shoveling lentils in my mouth as I write this). I love how you can make a nutritious meal...

Step-by-step directions to make Kasuzuke Salmon, a Japanese dish of salmon tails marinated in sake kasu, miso, mirin, and shio koji.

Highlights from the Umami Mart class at Preserved in Oakland. Students learned how to make their own shio koji, and to use it in marinades and dressings.

A step-by-step recipe on making fluffy steamed rice cooked with Snow crab, enoki and shiitake mushrooms, and kombu. Delicious and full of umami flavors!

Last February, I went to Jicca in Tokyo and had this seemingly unassuming dish. I've mainly had raw nagaimo (Chinese yam) julienned or grated in all its gooey glory. But at Jicca, it was seasoned with some serious magic. Lightly grilling this nagaimo brought out a...

Making miso is actually very easy. All you need are soybeans, salt, and koji. Here is a step-by-step guide to making miso at home.

I met a wonderful couple on Instagram, who I visited on my last trip to Japan. When they cook, they always use local ingredients prepared with such care and style. I look forward to their dinner picture everyday and I often...

In life, I'm all about making mistakes. The important thing is to just try everything! I was always the person to ask all the stupid questions in class; I've never had much of a fear of failure or looking dumb in public....

Duck has always been a bird I've been meaning to explore. Its rich, luscious fat always makes me feel like I'm indulging in something reserved for a special occasion. I always dream about the duck fat potato chips that Hopscotch in Oakland fries up...

Trends in Japan changes as often as Taylor Swift changes boyfriends. It's like, wasn't she dating the Kennedy kid and even bought a house across from his in order to be close to him? Next minute, she is shacking up with one of the bad...

After I posted salt koji recipe a couple of weeks ago, I found out koji is literally a miracle condiments. This is the easiest thing to make, as long as you can find koji (usually at the Japanese grocery store), and the result is...

Shio koji, or 塩麹 (salted koji) is a going through a major boom in Japan right now. What is it?  It is a mix of salt and koji mold. Wiki says, "Koji (Aspergillus oryzae) is a mold used in Chinese and Japanese cuisine to ferment soybeans. It is also used in the making...