Easy Tasty Homemade Miso

Do you like miso? It's a well-known traditional Japanese fermented food, with a characteristic savory flavor and aroma, known predominately as the seasoning in miso soup. More and more people are making their own fermented foods at home for the health of themselves and their families nowadays. Wouldn't it be great if you could make miso, which you would be able to use every day, to your own taste? Why don't you try making homemade miso! Here we introduce a method for making miso that even beginners can easily try. With only three ingredients (soybeans, koji rice malt, and salt) and a simple process, it's surprisingly easy and tasty. Our staff who actually makes it at home took some pictures of her homemade miso, so it's even easier for you to follow the directions!
The Process of Making Homemade Miso

Ingredients 17.6 oz / 500 g of Soybeans 17.6 oz / 500 g of koji (rice malt) 7 oz / 200 g of salt (In the Photo) JFC, Daizu Soy Beans, 10 oz / 283 g Cold Mountain, Dry Koji Rice Malt, 20 oz / 567 g Hakata Engyo, Hakatano Shio Cooking Salt, 2.2 lbs / 1 kg *You can get all the ingredients at Maido!
Directions

Day 1
Step 1. Wash soybeans and soak them in water overnight.


Day 2
Step 2. Soybeans look like this after being soaked for 24 hours.

Step 3. Transfer the soybeans and water to a large pot over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a low to medium heat to simmer and boil the soybeans for 1.5 to 2 hours until they get soft, where you can easily smash the beans with your fingers. (In a pressure cooker, cook for 20 minutes.)

Step 4. After straining the boiled soybeans through a colander (keep the water from boiling the soybeans), mash soybeans until smooth. If the quantity is large, a food processor is convenient. If bean paste is hard and cannot be stirred well, add a bit of the soybean boiled water.
Step 5. Since koji (rice malt) is sensitive to heat, cool the bean paste until it reaches the temperature of human skin.


Step 6. In a separate bowl, mix koji (rice malt) and salt.

Step 7. Add the bean paste from “step 5” to the bowl with koji and salt from “step 6”. If the mixture is dry, add the cooled soybean water and adjust the consistency.

Step 8. After mixing well, roll the dough into balls while removing air from the dough.

Step 9. Transfer the balls to a ziplock bag (or a clean container) and remove the air. Store at room temperature out of the sun.

Step 10. It'll be ready to eat in about six months to a year after preparation. (Even if mold grows, you can eat it by removing only that part.) Enjoy!
Tips:
Weigh ingredients carefully.
Cool off the boiled soybeans to the temperature of human skin.
Mix ingredients well.
Sterilize containers thoroughly, if you don't use a ziplock bag.
When you pack the miso paste, make sure to remove the air from the ziplock bag or container.
Store in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place.
The process of preparing is short, but make sure to follow these tips to make miso making a success. Good luck!
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There is a lot of food items, housewares, stationery, and gifts available at the store and our online store, Maido! Kairashi Shop, where you can place your order for shipping or store pickup!
Maido! also offers online grocery shopping with options for curbside pickup and home delivery!* *Some restrictions may apply. (Because of the staff shortages, we are currently pausing our online grocery services, both for delivery and pickup. They will be resumed in February, 2023. We apologize for the inconvenience.)
Happy shopping. :)