How to Make Japanese Koji Rice Pickles Asian Cooking Recipe Cuisine

Japan Koji Rice Pickles (Kojizuke)

This recipe was taken from centuries old cooking techniques and when possible applied modern cooking methods and/or ingredients.  It uses Asian cooking styles, Asian Spices, Asian Sauces and Asian Ingredients.  The style of cooking may have a slight alteration while still maintaining the dish's overall purpose.  In this blog we touch on recipes that may be predominant for the Chinese Cuisines.  We will also share recipes based upon country, or regions such as: Burma, Cambodia, Indian, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam.  Some cuisines are considered South Asian, South East Asian, Central Asian and/or Middle Eastern and may not be strictly connected to a specific country or culture.

Recipe Makes for 3-4 cups:

5 cups water 

2 cups short-grained Japanese rice 

1¼ cups koji rice 

¾ cup kosher salt 


Directions:

Bring the water to a boil in a well-insulated pot with a tight lid (bust out the cast iron if you have it). While you’re waiting, rinse the short-grained rice well in a fine-mesh sieve under running water. Add the cleaned rice to the boiling water and stir. Cover, turn the heat to low, and let cook, stirring often, until the rice is quite soft and mushy and all of the liquid is absorbed, about 25 to 30 minutes. Note that this rice will be much more porridgy than regular cooked rice. 

Take the lid off of the pot and remove the pot from the heat. Stirring frequently, and using a kitchen thermometer for accuracy, let the rice cool to 140°F (a small fan or blow dryer on its cool setting can help speed the process), then add the koji rice. Stir well to combine. Cover and keep it toasty warm for 24 hours; I wrap mine in a blanket and keep it over a heating pad on low. 

After 24 hours, inspect your amazake. It might not smell so nice, and it will look like thick gruel. Stir in  the  salt,  and  transfer  the  mixture  to  a  very  clean  pickling  crock,  glass  jar(s),  or  food-safe  plastic container(s) that can hold about 6 cups (3 pints). Cover it loosely with a lid not screwed into place to let air in but keep out insects and debris. 

Allow the amazake to ferment at room temperature for about 2 to 3 weeks. When ready, it will have a onsistency similar to cottage cheese and its smell will have become sweet and quite pleasant. Once it has reached the flavor and sweetness you like, store it in the refrigerator; and it will last for several months. 


To make amazake pickles, clean, peel, and slice vegetables ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. For watery vegetables, like celery and radishes, rub them with salt and let them sit for 30 to 60 minutes to draw out some of their moisture; less watery vegetables like carrots don’t necessitate this step. Rinse and pat dry, and lay  them  in  a  shallow  dish.  Then,  coat  them  completely  on  every  surface  with  a  thick  layer  of amazake. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 day. Serve immediately in the amazake (don’t rinse them!); refrigerate any unused pickles for up to 3 days. 

For the adventurous palate, a great side dish that compliments this recipe is Jaew Bong.  Discover more about Jaew Bong, check out www.jaewbong.com.

Enjoy..

Have an Asian dish of your own? Or you tried using our recipe? Please send us a picture, we would love to post it! email pix to cook@avagroups.info

Subscribe To Our Social Networks! Share with your friends your amazing dish, you just made!