Using Koji Amazake in Everyday Life

For those familiar with fermented foods, we offer new discoveries. For those less acquainted, we provide tips for effortlessly incorporating fermented foods into daily life.

Marukome Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Delish Kitchen, Japan’s largest recipe video platform, distributes numerous recipes using soybean products and traditional Japanese fermented foods like koji amazake, a sweet drink made from rice koji malt.

To learn more about the motivation behind these many seasonal and creative recipe videos, Tawa Saori, a registered dietitian from Marukome Co., Ltd.’s Public Relations Department, spoke with Sawada Asuka, a registered dietitian and Delish Kitchen’s food stylist who oversees everything from recipe development to cooking.

We want to familiarize more people with fermented foods through our videos

Both registered dietitians share the same philosophy in their recipes

Tada： Sawada, you continually come up with recipes packed with ideas from many different angles. What do you usually prioritize in these recipes?

Sawada： Fermented foods periodically appear in the media spotlight for a short time, like during the amazake fad or the salted koji craze. But I believe what everyday cooking needs is not trends, but thoughtful ways to integrate fermented foods into daily life. I make a conscious effort to include fermented foods in accessible, easy-to-make recipes in ways that lead to discoveries like, “Oh, you can use koji amazake like this” or “This seems easy enough to use every day without a hassle”. It’s a never-ending process of trial and error figuring out how to directly convey the product’s appeal, but I find it incredibly rewarding and enjoyable.

Tada： Recipes using koji amazake as a fermented sweetener alternative to sugar are a prime example of this. Marukome’s koji amazake contains no sugar and is completely alcohol-free, so it offers a totally natural sweetness. Aside from drinking it, using it to season your cooking adds depth to flavors. Once I discovered its versatility as a seasoning substitute — like using it instead of cooking saké, mirin rice wine, or sugar in simmered dishes or using it to season fried chicken — I started keeping it stocked in my refrigerator.

Sawada： Koji amazake also really comes into its own in sweets and dishes where you want a moist texture. It adds a unique richness and depth that sugar can’t replicate, making it a delicious way to obtain nutrients.

We deliberately pick seasonal recipes and color combinations that work well for video promotions

Filming an actual recipe video. The production takes place with meticulous checks.

Tada： I expect it’s challenging to come up with new recipes every year while trying to stick to seasonal themes.

Sawada： We really strive for elements that work well in the video context. Of course, we focus on seasonal elements like summer cold desserts or winter hot pots, but we also incorporate elements from that year’s trends. For example, a video we released in the summer, called A Cool Summer Treat: Two-Layer Koji Amazake Ice Cubes, was very well received because we highlighted the pop-art cuteness of colorful cubes spilling out of the ice-cube tray. I look at other Delish Kitchen recipe videos to find examples that effectively convey the texture and mouthfeel of foods.

■A Cool Summer Treat: Two-Layer Koji Amazake Ice Cubes, sponsored by Marukome

Tada： Our Mildly Sweet and Chewy Amazake Chocolate Mochi video, released for Valentine’s Day 2017, resonated widely across generations. Its catchy hook — using leftover mochi rice cake from New Year’s — plus the exquisite balance of koji amazake and chocolate sweetness, garnered lots of engagement.

Sawada： The messages we got, like “It was delicious” and “I’ll make it again”, were truly heartwarming. It’s a gradual process, but we genuinely feel that koji amazake’s uses beyond just a beverage are steadily expanding and reaching more people.

Tada： Part of my job is managing our company’s social media. We received lots of comments like “I learned a new way to use koji amazake”. This made me happy because through these recipes, our products are becoming part of people’s households.

■An Easy Must-Have Amazake Chocolate Mochi Recipe Using Leftover New Year’s Mochi

Connecting videos with physical stores makes it easier for customers to see how to use products

Tada： Moving forward, we want to do more video collaborations with physical stores. We want to create mechanisms, such as having videos playing at actual points of sale, that encourage customers to pick up products right where they are sold.

Sawada： If customers watch a video and can gather the ingredients on the spot, they are more likely to try the recipe before their enthusiasm fades. Another benefit is that it helps them imagine how to incorporate the product into their meals for that day or the next.

Tada： What ideas do you have for new recipes that you’d like to try?

Sawada： I’d like to present recipes that help ward off summer heatstroke by making use of the trace amount of salt in koji amazake. I hope we can get lots more people, like you Tawa, to develop the habit of keeping koji amazake on hand as one of their everyday seasonings.

Tada： I want to dispel the conventional notions of fermented foods, such as viewing amazake as just a beverage. And I want as many people as possible to experience how amazing koji amazake truly is.
Using koji amazake not only adds sweetness but also brings out richer flavors with ease. So it’s simple to use even for people less familiar with cooking. I really hope these recipe videos encourage the many people seeking a thoughtful, healthy lifestyle to pick up our products.