Dried Rice Koji

Meet Koji: Japan’s Best-Kept Culinary Secret

Koji unlocks deep umami flavors with a subtle sweetness– this versatile plant-based ingredient adds complexity and enhances flavor, tenderizes meat and breaks down starches naturally, and has a wide array of well-documented health benefits.

What is Koji?

Koji is the key to many of the essential flavors of Japanese cuisine, serving as the fermentation base for soy sauce, miso, and sake. However, it is a delicious ingredient on its own!

Steamed rice is cultured with Aspergillus oryzae, then dried. Dry Koji is a fermented product that requires activation and time, but is extremely versatile and customizable. Try cultivating your koji with a variety of ingredients to create even more complex and unique flavors, like onion koji.

While Koji has a long culinary legacy in Japan, today it is embraced by innovative chefs and esteemed restaurants around the world.

How do you use koji?

Use koji in marinates, sauces, dressings, soups, and stews to enhance the flavor and texture. The benefit of dry koji is that you can customize and adjust the flavor of your koji– experiment with different recipes!

Koji needs a period of time to rehydrate and ferment before it is ready to use. It will take 1 to 2 weeks to mature depending on the time of year (5-7 days in summertime, 10-14 days in wintertime).

Please see our recipes for instructions and inspiration.

Note: When dealing with fermented products, please trust your nose! Unpleasant smells may indicate unwanted bacterial growth and the koji should be discarded.