How to make Koji rice at home

[@stephentrebolo4233]

I made my koji from long grain brown rice and used it with soybeans to make miso. Aged for 6 months it is fabulous! It tastes like extra sharp cheddar cheese with blue cheese.

[@EddieShepherd]

Sounds fantastic

[@Tobbable]

For those on the fence, a fermentation chamber is also incredibly useful for all sorts of other things like speeding up lacto ferments and proofing bread :) Adding a small usb fan can help with air circulation, which I struggled with at first

[@EddieShepherd]

Thanks Tobais. Yeah the fan is definitely a good idea

[@sherri-harding]

We turned a cupboard into a fermentation chamber, using a small space heater and digital thermostat controller. It's a pantry type cupboard, so the heater is at the bottom, leaving space up top for up to 2 shelves. It's working great for koji rice and tempeh. and I now can walk away from it for 12 hours at a time. I use our dehydrator for Amazake, at 130 degree heat. I put it in pint jars with a lid loosely on so it doesn't dry out from the fan.

[@faithwaite7520]

I love that you are calm and not all freakishly loud and fake :) Could you do a video explaining the different types of Koji? I went to Amazon and they have quite a few different types. Thanks!!

[@EddieShepherd]

Aw thanks Faith. I will put it in my list of topics to get to, it might take a while but sounds interesting to do :)

[@JolynJessica]

You explain everything so well and understandable! I really enjoy your channel.

[@EddieShepherd]

Oh thanks :)

[@ChefRudakova]

Love Koji fermentation! I've never tried fermented Halloumi. Thanks for bringing it up! Very curious how it tastes and feels🤩

[@EddieShepherd]

Thanks :) The halloumi works really well, the enzymes in the koji break down the protein in th halloumi and soften its texture, the marinade also mellows the salt level and adds a rose flavour. Koji is such a fascinating ingredient I hope I'll have a few more videos coming up using it for misos, amazake, oils, vegetable charcuterie :)

[@ChefRudakova]

@@EddieShepherd 🤓✌

[@mads_westermann]

Two questions: 1) Which humidifier do you use? I have trouble find one that will work with the Inkbird and turn itself on again without manual intervention. 2) You mention smoked mushroom miso. Can you enlighten me to the principles behind that. Mushrooms seem to have very little protein compared to legumes, so how do you deal with that? Maybe a separate video about that would be great.

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi the humidifier I use doesn't seem to be available anymore so I suggest looking for a small simple one that turns on and off as power comes on and off - very small travel humidifiers are a good option. Yes the use of less traditional ingredients is a huge topic, too complex to go through here but I will think about it for a future more in depth topic and I would also recommend both the Noma fermentation book and Koji Alchemy as great resource for further reading on this

[@amilasilva-ei5hg]

thank you man..wonderful vidio

[@EddieShepherd]

Glad you liked it!

[@sheilaplanta304]

Wow i love your videos and your flavour associations. I need to taste the halloumi you described 😋

[@danileber453]

Hi Eddie, the miso i made 2 weeks ago is already not bad, its 4% salt and it already has a similar taste to store bought miso, its a bit tangy but not in a bad way at all, i let it go for a while and taste it now and then. I made a 9,5% salt one today. The oatmilk i tried to make turned into a sour thing since i didn't keep it in a 60c environment, gonna give that another try.

[@EddieShepherd]

Aw ace, sounds like its going great! With the oat milk were you thinking essentially an oat amazake? I'm guessing its that sort of style in which case 60C will be perfect

[@danileber453]

ye that kind of thing, i think at 60c the enzymes can work and lactic acid bacteria can't, first day it was mellow but i wanted it to be only sweet

[@user-ly8dp2lx3p]

好喜歡，請問，有中文版的嗎？很想學如何發酵。

[@eliasjdavis]

You have a great way of distilling complex subjects into grounded and yet creatively inspiring videos. I forage and ferment, and love finding new ways to grow. I have been excited to explore koji for awhile now, this is the first video that has made it look accessible. Do you have any specific recommendations with regards to the humidifier, size, shape, etc? And does it need to be refilled during the 2 day incubation period? Thank you for sharing your your wisdom and beautiful creations!

[@EddieShepherd]

Oh thank you. That it’s such a lovely comment. I think the humidifier that I use is sold out currently, but ideally want something that will go on and off automatically when the humidity monitor clicks on and off, so actually the simpler it is the better you can even get some travel humidifiers that I think are well suited to this and very small. You shouldn’t need to refill the humidifier, the humidity won’t change an awful lot. It’s just to make sure with the gentle heat that things can’t dry out too much. Once you’ve done the process once you’ll find it actually quite simple, and you’ll get a feel for it very quickly

[@TechGirlTiff]

I'm going to be attempting a koji grow without the use of a formal fermentation chamber. In fact I'm probably messing up a lot if every step shown is really required, but I want to see if there is a way to get a good result without committing to any extra equipment. May even upload a video of it... Maybe

[@EddieShepherd]

@@TechGirlTiff let me know how you get on. The main thing to do it safely is controlling the temperature & humidity and having everything be nice & clean & controlled - but you might be able to do that in a dehydrator or low oven or bread prover or make something suitable with things you have. Let me know how you get on and how you choose to do it :)

[@TechGirlTiff]

@@EddieShepherd well. First rule I broke is I used a rice cooker and set it to firmer setting and used a little too little water. Second rule I broke was I used disinfected glass dishes to hold the rice with no cloth in them. After I cooled off the rice I inoculated and covered with plastic wrap and poked holes. First 10-12 hours I put in the warmest no AC room in the house. Then mixed and put new plastic wrap and holes. Since it didn't feel warm much at all I now have it in proof setting on oven. I may not have washed the rice well enough and I may have inoculated too soon and the rules I broke may ruin it only time will tell.

[@assadk88]

Really informative video - thank you

[@EddieShepherd]

Thanks :)

[@devontheknight]

Bro just casually pops in the rotovap like it’s nothing at the end

[@matino717]

🤣 I really thought it was doable cheaply but now I'm thinking if I really need to sell a kidney in the end...

[@AnneKnepper-kq9go]

Super nice and helpful instructions. How would i proceed in a dehydrator?

[@EddieShepherd]

How do you mean? do you mean to dry the koji after making it or to incubate it in the dehydrator?

[@AnneKnepper-kq9go]

To incubate it in the dehydrator! Is it possible to use that?

[@EddieShepherd]

@@AnneKnepper-kq9go Hi, I believe it is possible but I havnt done it myself. You need to make sure the humidity is still high enough so I think I saw someone doing this by wrapping their koji trays in cling film and just poking a couple of air holes, so the cling film keeps the moisture in. I know other people have done it, but you might want to search for more detailed instructions specific to using the dehydrator

[@AnneKnepper-kq9go]

Thank you so much for your help!

[@maciejszpyra]

Amazing video! Subscribed.

[@EddieShepherd]

Aw thanks :)

[@HUWG29]

Hi Eddie, are you fermenting the 2.5kg of rice in one 1/1 pan? Thanks for all the great content!

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi, yes you should be able to get it all into one tray. I judge it a little by eye to get a comfortable amount but if it looks similar to my trays in the video you should be good

[@carltrummer9103]

Thanks a lot for this video.

[@EddieShepherd]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nicolasvincenzetti7293]

Koji charcuterie would be very interesting!

[@EddieShepherd]

The video for that is half done so should be out in a few weeks

[@barnkhan]

respect, love your channel x

[@EddieShepherd]

Aw thank you

[@Murvalous]

Any chance of a link to the trays and also that mister?

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi, the trays are 1/1 gastronorm trays, at least in the UK thats what they are called, these are the perforated trays and they are sold by most catering suppliers. The humidifier I use doesn't seem to be available anymore so I suggest looking for a small simple one that turns on and off as power comes on and off - very small travel humidifiers are a good option.

[@Murvalous]

@@EddieShepherd thank you

[@xlntak6807]

Hi, Eddie! Cool helpful video!! Very interesting: how do you make batter on charcoal ???

[@EddieShepherd]

Actually I’ll show how I make that batter in the next video in 2 weeks time

[@user-br7dy9wx3q]

hi I am very interested in your equipment, where did you buy it? about your humidifier

[@tomkemble3942]

Hi Eddie, do you have any recommendations for humidifiers that work with a humidistat online in the UK. Thank you

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi, one I use isn’t available anymore it looks like. But you just need one that is as simple as possible and turns on and off as power cones on and off, very small travel humidifiers are a good bet

[@karenrafiai2254]

Brilliant easy to follow what steamer are you using Thanks

[@EddieShepherd]

Thanks. I just use a steamer basket generally but I also have a basket that fits on top of my thermomix

[@csovesmunkasauto1118]

Hello! Can i use a rice cooker, with 1:1 rice to water ratio, or like 1:0.5 rice to water ratio?

[@gianloo]

Nice video Eddie! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! I've almost completed my fermentation chamber except the humidifier which I found quite fiddly as all I could find are USB powered and don't work with the humidity controller. There are many humidifiers that work with the controller but are too big for the chamber. Has anyone solved?

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi, thanks. The humidifiers tend to be the most awkward part of the set up. You could just get a usb plug to plug into the humidity controller, or the other option is get a larger humidifier with a tubing attachment to direct the mist, then you can direct that into the chamber or even cut a hole for the tube. If really stuck too you can go more manual and put clean damp cloths in the bottom of the chamber and just monitor the humidity, use a spray bottle to mist water into the chamber as needed. This is less ideal of course because you have to more actively monitor it all but it does work in a pinch.

[@gianloo]

@@EddieShepherd I already have the humidity controller, so I think I will try external larger humidifier option. Thanks!

[@YOUENJOYLIFE]

Another great video, I am having some issues sprouting Koji, I'm noticing after 40ish hours it mostly goes green/yellowish even before it seems to have spread all over the rice. Did you ever have this issue? Everything was perfectly on track and then I checked it and it was starting to spore, which is okay, but the issue was it hadn't properly coated the rice in a fluffy mold yet.

[@EddieShepherd]

So that green/yellow colour is the koji going to spore, so it sounds like if it is getting to that stage without being an even covering you have a problem with how well it can grow on some or most of the substrate and thats hard to fully diagnose the issue from afar but my guess would be - either you dont have enough air circulation - if you have too much substrate, too densely packed together it might mean air isn't getting to everywhere the koji needs. You could try adding in a fan to help air flow and making smaller trays. Or two that the soubrette isn't cooked to the ideal amount, has maybe too much moisture - rice should be steamed not boiled so it doesn't absorb too much moisture, and it wants to be only just cooked through, cooked too far or too much moisture in the grains will mess with how the koji grows too. These would be mu first suggestions to trouble shoot it :)

[@jennabronson4704]

You could try mixing up the rice periodically if the moisture/density conditions aren't ideal, assuming it's not just bone-dry or dripping with water to the point of creating anaerobic conditions. This is done in mushroom cultivation with grain spawn jars to encourage faster colonization; shaking the jars spreads the colonized grain around the uncolonized spawn, and essentially introduces new inoculation points. If it's already fruiting/sporulating, I'm inclined to think it's not an airflow issue.

[@alohahoneybeefamilyfarm5563]

Hello thank you for all the very helpful videos! Question with this amount of fresh koji made from this video how much dry chickpeas should I combine w it to make miso? Thank you for your help! 🙏 Aloha -ollie

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi, I’ve got a full video on making miso including guild amounts here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3KnnIiNf6t8d6s

[@robbertroost6018]

Wanna know what kind of humidifier you use, you have a link maybe?

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi, I’ve had a few questions about this recently - the humidifier I use doesn’t seem to be available anymore, you just need one that is as simple as possible and turns on and off as power turns on and off, very small travel humidifiers are often suitable and work like this

[@robbertroost6018]

@@EddieShepherd Thanks a lot!

[@ryanfullerton32]

Where did you get the humidifier from? Every novelty one I look at seems to have an on/off button l. Thank you

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi, This one they used to have on amazon but it seems to have been sold out for a while unfortunately

[@percydelacruz5648]

Very nice

[@EddieShepherd]

Thanks

[@merry6223]

can we make it without yeast

[@adamnovzen478]

Hi, what kind of steamer do you use? Is it meant for rice?

[@EddieShepherd]

You could use any steamer really, I have a steamer basket that sits on top of my Thermo mix that I sometimes use or a stainless steel one that sits on top of a pan of water. The main thing is to have the soaking and steaming time correct

[@wahyuferiyansyah7290]

Can we made koji rice with tempeh starter (Rhizopus R oryzae) and usually tempeh starter also had little amount of Aspergilus oryzae (the koji spores) Plus Rhizopus oryzae commonly used for making southeast asian soy sauce,miso,and off course tempeh. Is it works to koji rice??

[@EddieShepherd]

To do everything safely, make sure nothing else harmful can grow and get good results I would only recommend using pure koji spores.

[@AyalaK1]

Such a great video! Thank you so much Eddie. So you soak the rice for 1 hour? I always thought you need to soak for 8-12 hours and let it drain for 2 hours...

[@EddieShepherd]

Thank you very much. Yes, so the reason I soak and seen the rice for specific amounts of time here is to make sure that the finished rice isn’t too wet. It’s to get the right amount of moisture for the Koji to grow as well as possible.

[@AyalaK1]

@@EddieShepherd Yes, I understand, although according to some other tutorials on how to make Koji rice, soaking the rice is for 8-10 hours and draininig is for 2-3 hours. That's the reason for my question. It's nice to know I can shorten the process!

[@EddieShepherd]

@@AyalaK1 yeah this method works for me. You might want to adapt it a bit if you use different rice but I find this to be very consistent

[@AyalaK1]

Thanks. How do I know the rice has absorbed enough water (after soaking)?

[@EddieShepherd]

@@AyalaK1 you only really know when it has been cooked. That’s why I soak and cook the same rice the same way each time. I use Nishiki sushi rice so I get consistent results

[@erikdj]

What do you use for a humidifier? I saw the controller but i couldn't find the actual humidifier

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi, the humidifier I use doesn’t seem to be available anymore, you just need one that is as simple as possible and turns on and off as power cones on and off, very small travel humidifiers are a good bet

[@erikdj]

Cool that's what I did. I purchased all the parts last night. Just finished my first miso (1:1, 12% salt planned for 1 year). Want to try growing my own koji from spores and your video was the first I had seen with all of the parts for a box simple enough to build. I must not have gotten to that part of Noma's book (I skip around) 😆 Thank you!

[@christophermaiocca3998]

Would you provide a link for the humidifier? Thanks!

[@EddieShepherd]

I think it is sold out currently but this is the one. have - www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08DML55XK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@jasonerhardt1358]

What brand of humidifier did you buy? Mine always turns off but never on after that, pretty annoying

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi, I get a lot of questions about the humidifier so apologies for the copy and pasted reply - The humidifier I use doesn't seem to be available anymore, I get a lot of questions about it and so I suggest looking for a small simple one that turns on and off as power comes on and off - very small travel humidifiers are a good option .

[@vera9740]

I once had a koji rice mousse as a dessert. Any idea how that could be achieved?

[@EddieShepherd]

It’s hard to give an accurate answer without seeing the dessert but if I was doing it I would use Koji to make Amazake (essentially a naturally sweet thick koji rice milk) then I would turn that into a moose, probably using carrageenan to stabilise it and a whipping siphon. It’s a technique I have made some videos on here about - if you look at my black sesame dessert video or dark chocolate mousse they outline the basic technique. The video I made about making a ‘Sake’ sorbet gives you a method for Amazake too.

[@danileber453]

Hi Eddie, could you tell me (if you still read comments under here ofc) that, if you made koji, and let it sprout, can you use that as a starter for the next batch, if you keep it in the freezer or dehydrate it?

[@EddieShepherd]

Hi, yeah no problem, I try to read and reply to as many comments as possible.You can let koji incubate for longer, past the point you'd want to for food use, until it goes to spore and then use those spores to start more future batches. I dont do this myself, I buy all my koji spores from the specialist suppliers for the best consistency and safety, but it is possible and I think they go into the process in more detail in the Koji Alchemy book. Certainly something worth looking into

[@danileber453]

Thank you very much! I'm just in love with keeping something alive, and only paying it for once, like kombucha and all these. I'm gonna check that book out. Do you recommend freezing or dehydrating more?

[@EddieShepherd]

@@danileber453 Yeah I think its a great idea & the Koji Alchemy book is great, as is the Noma ferments book for lots of interesting applications - miso's, garums etc. To store I prefer freezing koji to dehydrating it, it means you can still use it in the same weights as fresh, it stores very well vacuum packed and frozen and the texture remains very close to fresh - so you dont really have to adapt recipes, use can use it very much like using fresh koji for many applications. Very useful to have some on hand frozen to use for small batches and experiments too

[@danileber453]

Thank you for the replies!

[@danileber453]

@@EddieShepherd Hi Eddie, my koji is at around hour 30, it looks great, thank you for the advices, i made it in a rice cooker tho, and it turned out great, im making pinto bean miso tomorrow and i was thinking about making oatmilk with it as well i will tell you the results!

[@tapasidebnath4200]

How to make koji spores

[@sherri-harding]

After 24 hrs it smelled flowery. Will it smell sour if I go longer?

[@EddieShepherd]

Smelling floral is a great sign at that stage but it should still keep growing well until at least 36 hours in (another 12 hours). I would leave it another 12 hours and check it then.

[@sherri-harding]

thanks! Such a learning curve... Getting it though...@@EddieShepherd

[@anoobiscooking1193]

Do i hv to buy the spores everytime?

[@EddieShepherd]

You can start making and harvesting your own spores but I wouldn’t suggest doing this until you are quite confident with koji making. Personally I buy mine and then I know they are safe & consistent

[@jennabronson4704]

@@EddieShepherd Can you break apart a colonized portion of the rice that has yet to sporulate and use that to colonize an additional batch of prepared rice? This is done in mushroom cultivation.

[@EddieShepherd]

@@jennabronson4704 it might be possible but as we are dealing with cooked rice and food safety is critical people don’t do this as far as I have come across, instead they would use the spores in precise amounts to inoculate and that’s what I would recommend

[@_danymal]

✨👏🏾

[@mansoorahmed8026]

Can we use Baspati rice in koji because here in sub continent Pakistan India we don't grow these Japanese variety gluton rice. Kindly advise

[@EddieShepherd]

I have made it using long grain Jasmine rice before, and that works well. I think you should be able to adapt it to the rice that you have. You might have to prepare the rice a little differently just to get the right amount of moisture in the grains. Do you want the grains cooked, but only just, with a little bite still to the center of each grain

[@tonybatty504]

Can you provide a link to the 'novelty' humidifier you use. Thanks

[@EddieShepherd]

Yes, it looks like it is sold out currently but this is the one. have - www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08DML55XK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@tonybatty504]

@@EddieShepherd Thanks for the quick reply. It's very difficult to ascertain from the product descriptions which models are on automatically when powered on. I'll keep searching.