Miso-making Bootcamp!! Day 1

Miso is made of 3 ingredients: soy beans, salt and Koji.  Although it is best to make Miso in Winter, I had to wait until today to make homemade Miso because it was hard to find KOJI in New York!  

7lbs Miso = Koji $6.25*2 +Soy beans $3 + Sea salt approx. $3 - simple ingredients for Miso-making

My mother attempted to ship Koji from Japan, but her attempt failed because...

KOJI is a LIVING FUNGUS / MOLD!

Koji is a mold made from steamed rice. It produces enzymes that will later break down the miso protein.  Anyway, I am glad she did not ship it - it could well be mistaken as Bio-terrorism at custom. 

Miso-making is a 2-day process.

First, wash soy beans carefully.  Remove discolored beans.

Then, soak in the water for at at least 18 hours until soy beans are well hydrated.  Tomorrow, I will cook soy beans and mix it with KoJI and salt.  (... to be continued)

Source: http://marukawamiso.com/make-miso/85.html

Meanwhile, another attempt of today was to make home-made ponzu sauce

Ingredients: 1 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup sake, 5 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/3 Fuji apple, 1 piece Kelp, 2 dried shitake mushroom, 1/2 lemon.

Methodology: Well, just put all ingredients except for lemon, and let it rest in a fridge for a few days.  Squeeze lemon juice when served.  This is great with Tofu, salad... etc.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Udon tasting at Japan Day @ Central Park on May 13, 2012.  Cold Udon was so good under nice sunlight!  Lots of freebies and activities.  Most importantly, great vibes from volunteers!  

One day.  One recipe!!

Pickles made from only mustard and vinegar.  A wonderful gift from Chef Artie.  Served with Tofu Mediterranean and Miso Tofu.  Healthy Tapas dishes for upcoming summer.

Have a nice day!!!