Tomato Shio Koji: Healthy and Flavorful with Low-Sodium Rice Koji
Tomato Shio Koji, a Recommended Low-Sodium Salt Made with Rice Koji
Introducing Tomato Shio Koji, a healthy low-sodium salt recommended for your cooking, made with rice koji. It’s important to note that ‘koji’ and ‘nuruk’ (Korean rice yeast) are different fermented products. Traditional Korean rice nuruk, often called ‘Miguk’ (米麴), is made by steaming and firmly pressing glutinous or non-glutinous rice flour, then wrapping it in pine needles to ferment. However, rice koji is produced by inoculating each grain of rice with mold cultures like Aspergillus oryzae (koji-kin), such as yellow koji or white koji. This distinction highlights the unique fermentation process of rice koji. This tomato shio koji, with its rich tomato flavor and the savory depth of rice koji, will elevate your dishes.
Ingredients
- 100g Rice Koji (at room temperature)
- 400g Pureed Tomato (by weight of juice)
- 2 Tbsp Hanju Salt or Bamboo Salt
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Prepare to peel the fresh tomatoes. Wash them thoroughly.
Step 2
Remove the stem from the tomatoes. Make a shallow cross (+) cut on the bottom opposite the stem. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water.
Step 3
Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water just as their skins begin to loosen and peel easily. If you take them out too early, the skins won’t separate properly. ^^
Step 4
The tomato skins will peel off smoothly with a gentle rub of your hands. Carefully remove the skins.
Step 5
Since the tomatoes will be pureed, cut them into manageable pieces suitable for your blender or food processor.
Step 6
Puree the prepared tomatoes to obtain 400g of tomato juice. Mix this juice well with the rice koji. If your rice koji has been frozen, take it out about 30 minutes to an hour before use to allow it to reach room temperature. If you need to use it immediately, you can gently warm the rice koji by holding it in your hands.
Step 7
While this recipe uses fresh tomatoes, you can also use store-bought tomato juice. If using tomato juice, make sure to choose unsalted and unsweetened varieties to best capture the natural tomato flavor.
Step 8
Place the mixture of rice koji, tomato juice, and salt into a rice cooker set to ‘keep warm’ and let it ferment for about 6-7 hours. Crucially, monitor the temperature to ensure it does not exceed 60°C (140°F), as higher temperatures can kill the beneficial mold cultures. If the keep-warm function seems too hot, periodically open the lid for a short while to release excess heat and regulate the temperature. Consistent monitoring is key.
Step 9
After approximately 7 hours of fermentation, the mixture will look like this. It’s already delicious enough to enjoy as is!
Step 10
To create our low-sodium Tomato Shio Koji, add 2 tablespoons of Hanju salt or bamboo salt to the fermented mixture and stir thoroughly.
Step 11
Using bamboo salt can add a deeper flavor profile. After mixing in the salt, store the mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for one week before using. This allows the flavors to meld and mature.
Step 12
After a week of aging, your Tomato Shio Koji is ready! It’s a wonderful low-sodium alternative to regular salt and offers a unique umami flavor distinct from nuruk salts.
Step 13
For easy use in cooking, you can further process the Tomato Shio Koji by pureeing it into a smoother paste using a blender or mortar and pestle. Store it in the refrigerator and use it to enhance the flavor of stir-fries and various other dishes.
