MARUKAWA Naturally Cultivated Salt Koji, 150g (white or brown rice)

• Shelf life: 365 days after production
• Storage method: Store in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight.
• Raw materials: Naturally cultivated rice from "Akita, Niigata, Fukui, or Miyagi",  Salt (Lake Salt in the Sun)

Koji is an important ingredient in the Japanese kitchen. It is used to kick start the fermentation process in some key-ingredients like mirin, sake, soy sauce, amazake and miso. Miso, for example, is made by cooking soybeans, salt, and water and mixing it with the koji till it becomes the paste we all know.

By itself, Koji can be used to make shio koji (salt koji): simply mixing the koji rice with salt and water and fermenting it at room temperature for a couple of weeks, you will create a paste full of flavor and healthy nutrition!

With this paste, you can experiment endlessly: use it as a substitute for salt, to pickle vegetables, and to marinate your meat or tofu. 

Koji is becoming increasingly popular with chefs all over the world due to its unique, 'umami' flavor and its healthy germs that promote gut health.