Fermented Seasonings: How to Make and Use Them in Cooking
Nov 18,2021
Meals that nourish body and soul are essential to staying healthy each day. But many people find that constantly preparing nutritionally balanced meals is no easy task. It takes so much time and effort.
Want to make better meals for yourself and your family but don’t have the time? If that’s the dilemma you face in the kitchen, here’s something you can use: fermented seasonings. They boost the nutritional value and taste of your ingredients in one fell swoop.
To learn more about fermented seasonings, we turned to Yajikawa Yuko, owner of Yajikko KITCHEN: The Fermentation × Spice Eatery, which is dedicated to bringing healthy, soulful meals to more people. Here she shares several recipes for fermented seasoning— and gives the lowdown on how to use them.
Sharing fermentation in all its complexity — and not just in Japanese food
Yajikko KITCHEN: The Fermentation × Spice Eatery is tucked away in a residential neighborhood not far from Motoyawata train station in the city of Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture.
On sliding open the blue-painted door, I find myself in surroundings like something out of Studio Ghibli, which owner Yajikawa Yuko is a big fan of. The place has almost a fantastical, fairy-tale atmosphere.
The last lunchtime customer is eating contentedly at the counter. Yuko tells me that he’s the greengrocer who regularly supplies the restaurant with quality vegetables.
“He always eats lunch here like this after making a delivery of vegetables. He’s almost like family.”
Yajikawa Yuko, owner of Yajikko KITCHEN: The Fermentation × Spice Eatery
Yajikko KITCHEN offers a long list of dishes that let you fully experience the power of fermentation and spices. These combine house-made seasonings prepared using koji (rice malt) with a multitude of spices. The ingredients used, including the vegetables delivered on the day of my visit, are almost all produced locally in Chiba. Yuko insists on sourcing ingredients locally. It’s her way of giving back to the people who supported her in the runup to opening her own restaurant in the community she calls home.
Koji is essential to making the fermented foods served here. And needless to say, it all comes from a single supplier: Shibayama Koji Shop, where traditional koji making is being carried on by a young artisan.
Ready-made foods are also sold for takeout.
“In Japan, fermented foods tend to be used mostly in Japanese cuisine, but it’s interesting how well they go with other cuisines from around the world when you combine them with spices. Fermented seasonings are an easy way to bring together the flavor of a dish simply by dressing or marinating the ingredients. They also boost its nutritional value tremendously. They’re definitely worth putting to good use if you cook every day.”
The easy way to make fermented seasonings at home
Dishes made with koji have many advantages. You never tire of them, even when you eat them every day. And the koji enhances the flavor. Here Yuko tells us how to make three all-purpose fermented seasonings that transform any food into a fermented taste experience: sweet koji, salt koji, and soy sauce koji.
Sweet koji: For naturally sweet flavor
“Sweet koji is what the sweet beverage amazake is made from. It has a distinctly sweet, umami-rich flavor despite being completely sugar-free, so it can be served as a beverage and drunk as is or used for cooking in place of sugar. It keeps in the fridge for two weeks to a month.”
Salt koji: A marinade for bringing out the ingredients’ flavor
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- ［Ingredients］
- 200 g koji
- 60 g salt
- 220 ml water (260 ml if using dried koji)
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- ［Instructions］
- 1. Put the koji in a bowl and break it up until it crumbles. Add the salt and massage in by squeezing with your hand. Add the water and mix everything together.
- 2. Transfer to a clean container, cover loosely with a lid, and place in a warm part of the house. Mix at least once a day so that everything becomes well blended.
- 3. The koji is ready once the grains soften and the mixture becomes sticky, which takes a week to ten days.
“Using salt koji in your cooking in place of salt imparts sweetness and richness. Marinate ingredients like meat in it. It tenderizes even the toughest meat and brings out its innate flavor. It keeps in the fridge for roughly two to three months.”
Soy sauce koji: Fragrant and full of umami
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- ［Ingredients］
- 150 g koji (or 100 g dried koji)
- 200 ml soy sauce
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- ［Instructions］
- 1. Put the koji in a bowl and break it up until it crumbles. Add the soy sauce and mix in.
- 2. Transfer to a clean container, cover loosely with a lid, and place in a warm part of the house. Mix at least once a day, ensuring everything is well blended.
- 3. The koji is ready once the grains soften and the mixture becomes sticky, which takes a week to ten days.
“Soy sauce koji has a more pronounced umami than salt koji, so I’d suggest using it to give your cooking a subtle twist or finishing touch. It keeps in the fridge for roughly three months.”
Great-tasting sweet koji recipes that can be made in an instant!
Using fermented seasonings boosts the flavor of even the humblest ingredients. You just dress the ingredients in them or add them when you stir-fry, so they’re bound to come in handy on the busiest days! Here are two of Yuko’s favorite recipes made with sweet koji.
Cod and mushrooms stir-fried in sweet koji: The flavor of fall!
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- Ingredients for 2 servings
- 60 g sweet koji
- 70 g canned diced tomatoes
- 60 g maitake mushrooms
- 60 g shimeji mushrooms
- 2 slices cod
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tbsp soy sauce
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- ［Instructions］
- 1. Salt and pepper the cod and coat in potato starch.
- 2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the cod, then remove.
- 3. Stir-fry the maitake and shimeji mushrooms. Add the diced tomatoes and sweet koji. Adjust the flavor with soy sauce.
- 4. Pour the sauce from Step 3 over the cod.
Carrot salad: You’ll love the crunchy texture!
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- ［Ingredients］
- 1 carrot
- ½ grapefruit
- Small amount of red “beni kururi” daikon (or regular daikon)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp sweet koji
- 1 tbsp cottage cheese
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp soy sauce
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- ［Instructions］
- 1. Cut the carrot into thin strips and the beni kururi daikon into thin round slices. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- 2. Add the grapefruit.
- 3. Add the sweet koji, cottage cheese, lemon juice, and soy sauce and blend everything together.
Treasuring special moments shared around the dining table
Besides running Yajikko KITCHEN with staff who share her vision, Yuko also sells bento box lunches. In addition, she operates a cooking school that teaches fermented food basics and the art of using fermented seasonings and combining them with spices.
The restaurant sells its own custom fermented seasonings.
“We look forward to sharing the magic of fermentation and spices from our new cooking studio, which will soon be up and running. Now you won’t just get to experience what fermentation is about by coming to our restaurant. We’ll put smiles on more people’s faces in all kinds of ways. We’ll deliver . We’ll offer takeout. We’ll give online tutorials on how to make food that delights body and soul.”
Yuko has always treasured special moments shared around the dining table. Making use of fermented seasonings in your own home will let you enjoy more happy moments eating good food together. Why not give it a try?
