Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 65 minutes
Servings: 2
Recipe by Japanese chef, food writer and cookery teacher Yuki Gomi.
My lemon koji recipe is perfect for busy people who want to quickly add amazing and natural umami and citrus flavour to their meals without spending hours in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- 100g Rice koji
- 45g Sea salt
- 1-2 (150g-200g) Organic Lemons
- 150ml Lemon water (Water + 1 x Lemon juice)
- A 400ml-500ml glass jar (Cleaned & sterilised)
Method
- If the koji is in a solid block, first crumble it into grains using your hands. Then combine the koji and salt, mixing the two together well.
- Squeeze the juice from a lemon and top up to 150ml to prepare the lemon water first. Keep the used lemon and chop it into thin pieces.
- Place the mixture of koji and salt in a medium-size bowl and mix with both the lemon water and the sliced lemon. Mix this all very thoroughly.
- Place the lemon koji into the sterilized jar and leave it in the kitchen. On a countertop at room temperature is fine.
- Stir and mix the koji mixture once a day, until the grains lose their crunchy texture and become broken down and mushier. This takes around 7-10 days.
Notes
Depending on your rice koji type, you may need to add more water if it looks like it is drying out. This can depend on the koji, as it varies from one supplier to the next.
Lemon Koji will keep well for up to 6 months so I always have a jar of it on my counter.
© Yuki's Kitchen Ltd. 2021
This article was originally published on Japanese Food. Simply. by chef and teacher Yuki Gomi.
Yuki blends traditional and modern techniques to make Japanese cooking approachable and delicious.
